# Fluoride in drinking water **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593 "2001-06-04T23:23:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/1 "2001-06-04T23:23:20Z")
What’s the story on fluoride in drinking water? I have a friend who keeps on offering me brochures and printouts off the Net about how dangerous and unhealthy fluoride is. On the other hand, he also reads conspiracy-theory books for a hobby, so I take this with a pinch of salt. So what’s the truth? Is fluoride the best thing since sliced bread, or the biggest threat to humanity since daytime soaps, or what? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/2 "2001-06-04T23:33:05Z")
[slight hijack] > [@](#): > > General Jack D. Ripper: Have you ever heard of a thing called fluoridation. > Fluoridation of water? > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh? Yes, II have heard of that, Jack, yes. Yes. > > ``` > General Jack D. Ripper: Well, do you know what it is? > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No, no I don't know what it is, no. > General Jack D. Ripper: Do you realize that fluoridation is the most > monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to > face? > General Jack D. Ripper: Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to > fluoridating water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit > juices, soup, sugar, milk... ice cream. Ice cream, Mandrake, children's ice > cream. > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Lord, Jack. > General Jack D. Ripper: You know when fluoridation first began? > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: I-- no, no. I don't, Jack. > General Jack D. Ripper: Nineteen hundred and forty-six. Nineteen forty-six, > Mandrake. How does that coincide with your post-war Commie conspiracy, huh? > It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our > precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual. Certainly without > any choice. That's the way your hard-core Commie works. > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Uh, Jack, Jack, listen, tell me, tell me, Jack. > When did you first... become... well, develop this theory? > General Jack D. Ripper: Well, I, uh... I... I... first became aware of it, > Mandrake, during the physical act of love. > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm. > General Jack D. Ripper: Yes, a uh, a profound sense of fatigue... a feeling of > emptiness followed. Luckily I... I was able to interpret these feelings correctly. > Loss of essence. > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Hmm. > General Jack D. Ripper: I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. > Women uh... women sense my power and they seek the life essence. I, uh... I > do not avoid women, Mandrake. > Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: No. > General Jack D. Ripper: But I... I do deny them my essence. > > ``` [/slight hijack] I always wanted a reason to post that…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/3 "2001-06-04T23:45:57Z")
Well, growing up in Clayton, MO, in the 70’s / 80’s, there was flouride in my drinking water, and the only thing that’s happened to me is that my current dentist raves about the great shape my teeth are in. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/4 "2001-06-05T00:01:13Z")
Rather than bring a two year old thread back to life, I’ll just cut one of the responses from it: > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Nickrz_: > > This debate has been raging for well over 50 years, and the naysayers continue to point to “scientific studies” that show flouridation of drinking water to be inneffective and/or harmful/carcinogenic, what have you. I don’t believe a word of that crap, and here’s why: > > The thought that our state and local governments are deliberately, systematically poisoning the population is ludicrous. If the vast preponderance of scientific evidence did not support the findings of beneficence and efficacy of water flouridation, the practice would have been stopped 30 or 40 years ago. Sure, there are always those people who buy into the theory that government, either through malice or sheer stupidity is the enemy of the people, but those people are nutcases, in my opinion. And a link to quackwatch: [http://www.quackwatch.com/03HealthPromotion/fluoride.html](http://www.quackwatch.com/03HealthPromotion/fluoride.html) ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/5 "2001-06-05T00:03:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MacSpon \* > … he also reads conspiracy-theory books for a hobby, so I take this **with a pinch of salt**. (bolding added) Sorry, nothing to add … just thought that this line was pretty funny. Yeah, unless you’re overly concerned about Purity Of Essence (cf. Reeder’s post), I don’t think anything’s been shown conclusively harmful about flouridation. What evidence do the brochures purport to provide? ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/6 "2001-06-05T04:24:09Z")
POE EOP OPE OEP EPO PEO ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/7 "2001-06-05T04:34:27Z")
It’s tough to question the wisdom of fluoridated water without sounding like either a conspiracy theorist, a crackpot, or both, but I’ll give it a whack. I’ve yet to read any studies that support adding fluoride to drinking supplies NOT underwritten by fluoride producers. If it doesn’t benefit us, then, why put it in the water? Yeah, yeah, I’ve seen the anecdotal evidence about how communities with fluoridated water put dentists out of business, but anecdotal evidence ain’t exactly scientific corroboration. I don’t really feel that strongly about it either way, tho…I tend simply to get amused by how strongly folks on both sides of the fence feel, in the absence of absolute scientific evidence. Kinda like, which way do you hang the toilet paper… ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/8 "2001-06-05T04:42:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Yeah, unless you’re overly concerned about Purity Of Essence (cf. Reeder’s post), I don’t think anything’s been shown conclusively harmful about flouridation. What evidence do the brochures purport to provide? I don’t know, because I never bothered to read them. (I _said_ I took the whole thing with a pinch of salt.) But I do remember him announcing with great glee that fluorine was a component of some Nazi war gas; therefore, it had to be bad. I felt like replying that nitrogen is a component of cyanide, but nitrogen doesn’t seem to be all that poisonous. But in the end I didn’t bother. Now I’m sorry I didn’t… ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/9 "2001-06-05T06:06:52Z")
[useless trivia] Grand Rapids, MI was the first city in the US to fluoridate their drinking water. [/usless trivia] ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/10 "2001-06-05T06:25:42Z")
What gets me is how you’ll turn on the travel channel and see tribes people in Africa with gleaming white teeth, then see tribes people in South America whose teeth are rotted to the gums. Both groups obviously have never heard of dental hygene, so is it genetics or are there perhaps trace elements of flouride or other minerals present in the water that promote healthy teeth? Off the subject, if you ever go to Colorado, people there have some of the whitest teeth I’ve ever seen. I wonder why. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/11 "2001-06-05T19:39:19Z")
I think the only concern with fluoridated water is dental fluorosis. This could be a potentially serious problem for young children, who may get too much fluoride from a combination of fluoridated water, fluoride toothpaste, and fluoride mouthwashes. While not life threatening, dental fluorosis is expensive to repair. You can see some photos [here](http://www.fluoridealert.org/fluorosis-pics2.htm). I wouldn’t pay too much attention to their articles though. You can read about dental fluorosis from a reputable source, [WebMD](http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1680.50113). (Scroll down to “The Use of Fluoride.”) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/12 "2001-06-05T22:56:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wishbone \* > **What gets me is how you’ll turn on the travel channel and see tribes people in Africa with gleaming white teeth, then see tribes people in South America whose teeth are rotted to the gums. Both groups obviously have never heard of dental hygene, so is it genetics or are there perhaps trace elements of flouride or other minerals present in the water that promote healthy teeth?** Could be, or might be genetics or other(non-flouride related) aspects of diet. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/13 "2001-06-05T23:01:47Z")
I’m sure I read a report a while back about tests of fluoridation of tapwater which stated that in certain regions, it resulted in a decline in general dental health. I believe this was attributed to a combination of genetic and local dietary factors (something missing or abundant in the soil, and this passed on through crops) ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fluoride-in-drinking-water/67593/14 "2001-06-06T00:07:48Z")
My teeth were always perfect until recently when I started drinking bottled water. I found out that bottled water is not fluoridated when my dentist informed me I had 2 new cavities, for the first time ever. Now I drink some tap water and get fluoride treatments plus an extra-fluoride toothpaste. You’re not supposed to swallow the prescription-strength fluoride toothpastes, it is rather concentrated and you could suffer ill effects from continual overexposure. But this is a hugely high level of fluoride compared to what’s in the water. Anyway, my dentist told me that they discovered the effect of fluoridation due to a tribe of indians that all drew well water from one area with naturally high fluoride in the water. They supposedly all had darkened teeth but very few cavities. I don’t know how to verify this story, but this guy does teach dentistry so I suppose he knows what he’s talking about.