Dental health benefits of fluoride in water may have declined, study finds
The dental health benefits of adding fluoride to drinking water may be smaller now than before fluoride toothpaste was widely available, a review suggests.
Researchers from the universities of Manchester, Dundee and Aberdeen assessed evidence from 157 studies comparing communities that had fluoride added to their water supplies with communities that had no additional fluoride in their water.
The review found that the benefit of fluoridation had declined since the 1970s, when fluoride toothpaste became more widely available.
Fluoride is known to reduce tooth decay. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
“When interpreting the evidence, it is important to think about the wider context and how society and health have changed over time,” said Anne-Marie Glenny, a professor of health sciences research at the University of Manchester and a co-author of the review.
“Most of the studies on water fluoridation are over 50 years old, before the availability of fluoride toothpaste. Contemporary studies give us a more relevant picture of what the benefits are now.”
