I hate citing just one URL and asking questions, as doing so seems too mypic. However, I think it will serve to address a question I’ve had about fluoride that I’ve not really found a great answer to.
Question: Would it be cheaper and less risky if we skipped fluoridating water and instead just did twice-annual fluoride treatments?
This review seems to indicate there would be no difference in outcomes: http://ift.tt/1xP65yH
“Initial studies of community water fluoridation demonstrated that reductions in childhood dental caries attributable to fluoridation were approximately 50%–60% (94–97). More recent estimates are lower — 18%–40% (98,99). This decrease in attributable benefit is likely caused by the increasing use of fluoride from other sources, with the widespread use of fluoride toothpaste probably the most important.”
“Clinical trials conducted during 1940–1970 demonstrated that professionally applied fluorides effectively reduce caries experience in children (233). In more recent studies, semiannual treatments reportedly caused an average decrease of 26% in caries experience in the permanent teeth of children residing in nonfluoridated areas”
80% of caries in children happen in 25% of the population. It seems widespread fluoridation is kind of like carpet bombing everything just to make sure we get it all. In a world of web content personalization, it seems we ought to be able to target with at least some level of precision.
No comments:
Post a Comment