Fluoride is a naturally occurring element. It is found in rocks and soil everywhere, in fresh water and ocean water. In fact, waters in and around the United States have natural fluoride levels that range from 0.1 parts per million to over 12 parts per million.

2. Does fluoride really help in preventing cavities?  

Initial studies showed a 60% reduction in caries in fluoridated communities (communities which had appropriately adjusted fluoride to the water source). More recently, the benefit appears to be 30-40%. The difference may be attributed to use of fluoridated toothpaste and the prevalence of fluoridated water in packaged foods and beverages.

3. Why not just go take care of your teeth and see your dentist?

That’s an excellent question. Unfortunately, oral care isn’t as easy as “just take care of yourself and see a dentist” for some people, including many children, the disabled, and the poor. Dental disease is now known to be an infectious disease- if a person has a significant amount of a specific bacteria, strep mutans, they will be at a much higher risk for developing tooth decay than someone who does not have this bacteria in their mouth. And while having this specific bacterium does not doom a person to lifelong tooth decay, they will most certainly need to have very careful oral hygiene to avoid decay. Now take this knowledge and apply it to a child; a child needs parents who diligently and actively participate in their child’s oral care--- this means the parent brushing the child’s teeth twice a day from when the first little tooth appears until school age... and then monitoring the child as he brushes his teeth twice a day until at least eight years old. Without this dedication to their child’s oral health, some children, especially poor children, are at risk for decay. We know from national, state, and local Humboldt County studies that 80% of dental decay is in children who are poor. Unfortunately, we have a lot of poor kids in Arcata.

Now to address why not just go to your dentist. For a variety of reasons (and without pointing fingers at the dental profession) there are simply very few dentists who can take patients under the Denti-Cal program which is the dental part of Medi-Cal. The majority of dental facilities which accept Denti-Cal reimbursement are the Community Dental Clinics and they frequently are so overwhelmed with the community need that there are long waiting lists or they are may not be able to take new patients at all. For a very young child, the clinics may simply not be able to offer the services necessary to treat dental decay due to the child’s age. This leaves very few local resources to treat extensive decay or oral disease in a young child.

4. How does fluoride really work?

Topical fluorides strengthen teeth already present in the mouth. Fluoride is incorporated into the surface of teeth making them more decay-resistant. Fluoridated drinking water probably has a topical effect as well as a systemic effect. Systemic fluorides can give topical protection because ingested fluoride is present in saliva, which continually bathes the teeth. Fluoride is incorporated into the tooth surface to prevent decay. Fluoride also becomes incorporated into dental plaque and facilitates further remineralization. It reduces the solubility of tooth enamel in acid. It reduces the ability of plaque organisms to produce acid. Adults may also benefit from fluoridation, particularly those with receding gums, which expose the tooth roots that are particularly susceptible to decay. In addition to reducing tooth decay, water fluoridation prevents needless infection, pain, suffering and loss of teeth; improves the quality of life; and saves vast sums of money in dental treatment costs.

The magnitude of the effect depends on a lot of factors. A sizable population of Arcatans falls into the category of increased vulnerability with poor access to professional prevention and treatment. The poor, uninsured, the elderly and the disabled, along with children would stand to benefit especially form universal exposure to community water fluoridation.

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