What’s the fluoride content of your toothpaste?
Older generations of adults, especially those who did not have extensive education, used local chewing stick derived from certain medicinal plants to clean their teeth daily. While many of them had sparking white teeth, others had dental problems. But one thing was clear: there was no fear of ingesting poison from the chewing stick.
Then came toothpaste in squeezable tubes, with fluoride as one of the active ingredients. Of course, compared to the chewing stick that actually requires the strongest of teeth to chew it to a point that you could now use it to rigorously wipe your teeth clean, fluoridated toothpastes are easier and quicker to use. All you need do is squeeze a reasonable amount onto your toothbrush and you are done in less than five minutes of brushing.
Things have changed, though, what with many people’s decision to “go natural” — from the food we eat, to drugs and everything that relates to “clean” living.
These days, natural food aisles in upscale supermarkets parade non-fluoride toothpastes.
Again, many global brands of toothpastes now come with warnings: “Too much fluoride is bad for your health;” “If swallowed in large quantity, see your doctor;” “Not recommended for children under seven years of age,” etc.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral in water, soil and foods like meat, fish, eggs, and tea leaves. When they are consumed, the fluoride enters our bloodstream and is eventually absorbed by our teeth and bones.
In advanced countries — well, before the controversy arose — fluoride was also added to public water supply. In resource-poor regions, it was added to salt, milk, and mouth rinse, diminishing levels of dental caries in both child and adult populations.
A dentist, Dr. Caleb Bolarinwa, says fluoride is very useful in many areas of health when used in reasonable quantity, especially in dental caries prevention when a small quantity is used in cleaning the mouth regularly.
He says, “Fluoride, in limited quantities, is important in remineralisation of eroded tooth enamel and damaged teeth. It strengthens the teeth and prevents cavities. Adults need fluoride to protect their teeth against tooth decay, and children need it to protect their permanent teeth as they are forming.”
A report published in American Chemical Society’s journal, Langumir, states that “fluoride helps to harden the enamel coating that protects teeth from the acid produced by decay-causing bacteria.”
The researchers, led by Karin Jacobs, say fluoride reduces the ability of decay-causing bacteria to stick, so that it is easier to wash away the bacteria by saliva, brushing and other activity.
Bolarinwa also draws attention to a new study conducted in March by a group of researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Adelaide, Australia. The researchers claim that their findings produce “the strongest evidence yet” that fluoride in drinking water provides dental health benefits to adults, even those who had not received fluoridated drinking water as children.
So, what is it about fluoride that has made it attract stinging criticisms from scientists and researchers? For one, the World Health Organisation notes that there are some undesirable side effects with excessive fluoride intake.
Experts aver that a tube of fluoride toothpaste contains enough fluoride to kill a one-year old child. The probable toxic dosage for a child weighing 10kg, they say, is 50mg of fluoridated toothpaste.
An online portal, londonfather.com, notes, “A 100 ml tube of toothpaste contains about 188.5mg of fluoride — more than three times a lethal dose for a one-year old — yet nowhere on the packaging are there any warnings that this product might be harmful to your child.”
The website laments that toothpaste tubes don’t even have child-proof caps, urging parents to keep the commodity out of reach of children.
As if to confirm the dangers in fluoride use, in March, researchers in India developed a filter system based on a medicinal herb, which they say can quickly and easily remove fluoride from drinking water.
The technology, described in the March issue of the International Journal of Environmental Engineering, uses parts of the plant Tridax procumbens to defluoride drinking water where fluoride is high in communities’ ground water.
The WHO guidelines suggest that a safe level of fluoride is 1.5mg per litre of drinking water.
Moreover, experts say too much fluoride use can result in dental fluorosis — a discolouration of tooth enamel caused by fluoride interference with tooth-forming cells. They advise that extended exposure to high fluoride levels can also lead to weakened bone, gastric problems, allergic reactions and skeletal fluorosis — with symptoms like stiffness of the joints and pain.
Scientists claim that death can even result if someone consumes too much fluoride, like when a child swallows an entire tube of toothpaste. When that happens, experts say, the child can develop nausea, diarrhoea, he can vomit blood, develop stomach pain, or have uncontrolled salivation, watery eyes, general weakness, shallow breathing, tiredness, faintness and convulsions.
In 1996, a leading toothpaste manufacturer, Colgate-Palmolive, made a “goodwill” payment to a child whose teeth appeared to have been damaged by fluoride. It was the first of its kind.
And while Colgate-Palmolive denied liability and refused to discuss the issue, lawyers said the settlement was a breakthrough that would trigger a flood of compensation claims from toothpaste manufacturers.
Adults are advised to keep toothpastes out of reach of children, and kids should not be given more than pea-sized serving when they want to brush their teeth. Toothpaste users are advised to follow dentist’s advice and check products for the levels of fluoride they may contain. Better still, some scientists advocate use of herbal toothpastes that do not contain dyes or artificial flavours.
Culled from Punch
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