Dental symposium addresses growing fluoride concerns

Dental Tribune International

二. 29 十一月 2016

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STOCKHOLM, Sweden: Although the oral health benefits of fluoride have been scientifically proven, an increasing number of people are concerned about the potential health dangers posed by the substance when ingested into the body through oral care products or fluoridated drinking water. At the Swedish Dental Association’s Annual Dental Congress, which took place in Stockholm earlier this month, the FluORO symposium discussed existing knowledge about fluoride intake, as well as the dental community’s role in addressing patients’ fears and providing accurate information about the topic.

Be it through controversial information available on the Internet, increasing awareness of the systemic effects of chemicals or various anti-fluoride campaigns, many people are confused as to whether fluoride is beneficial or harmful for their health. An indication of the growing concern is the steady rise in web searches and the large number of online articles and posts about the potential health risks of the substance, according to the FluORO symposium presenters.

One way to respond to this development is to convey accurate and objective information to patients when concerns are raised, the speakers emphasised. According to Peggy Näsman, a PhD student at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm who is researching the relationship between fluoride and public health, dentists especially need to help their patients to understand the difference between fluorine and fluoride. While fluorine in its pure elemental form is one of the most reactive elements on the periodic table, fluoride colloquially refers to the active fluoride compound—usually stannous fluoride or sodium fluoride—that is added to toothpaste or drinking water.

Moreover, the experts emphasised that practitioners need to be prepared to propose alternative approaches for preventing tooth decay if patients refuse to use fluorides at all. They concluded that, although there is no universal answer to the topic, dental staff should provide accurate and objective knowledge on the matter, as incorrect information will otherwise spread unchallenged and may bias parents of young children in their decision to use fluoridated toothpaste for preventing tooth decay.

Summarising the knowledge about fluoride and its toxicology, Dr Jon E. Dahl, Professor of Cariology at the University of Oslo in Norway, stressed that—although it is correct that fluoride is toxic—it would take very large amounts of the substance to cause any damage in the body.

In spite of controversial claims, various international studies have found public water fluoridation and the use of fluoridated toothpaste—in appropriate doses—to be safe, effective and affordable ways to prevent and reduce tooth decay in the population.