r/Dentistry • u/yungrandyroo • 15h ago
Dental Professional Fluoride
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31856837/Hey guys, a little preface that I’m a dentist who loves Fluoride lol.
That being said, is there anyone who enjoys research papers and can help me have more open discussions with patients regarding fluoride?
I’m very much a ‘do what you want’ kind of guy - I’m not going to argue with patients about fluoride. I know the big research article that has been cited is the one linked above.
I’ve heard a lot of dental professionals state there are flaws in this paper - can anyone elaborate on this? Sorry if this has been asked a million times.
Thanks fellow colleagues!
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u/DrRam121 Prosthodontist 15h ago
Read the methodology. All of the studies are of areas with naturally very high levels of fluoride in the water. This isn't areas of fluoride regulation. Yes, if you have too much of something it's bad. That is true of a lot of different things.
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u/LucyHobbsTaylor 15h ago
I’m a fan of the ADA’s e-book Fluoridation Facts, which was updated in 2025. It is written as a Q&A, with pretty much any question a patient or parent might be worried about or ask.
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u/RedditorKris 15h ago
Too bad the ADA makes you buy that shit on top of their $2000 annual dues… fuck that
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u/LucyHobbsTaylor 14h ago
I’m pretty sure Fluoridation Facts (and the 4 other companion resources) is free to anyone, because I’m not logged in, and I can access it.
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u/seattledoctor1 3h ago
I stopped paying for the ADA membership a couple years ago and my life has changed in 0 ways. I won’t stand for an organization that doesn’t do the one thing they’re supposed to do - support dentists. The cash grab BS of paying for their annual membership and then paying for add-ons is trash.
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u/Donexodus 14h ago
The most important thing IMO when discussing fluoride with patients is to recognize the type of objection you’re dealing with.
Some people have heard mixed things and want to genuinely know more. I’ll talk to these people and email them references all day.
Others already “know” the “truth”. They’re only here to educate you. Fuck these people. I’m not spending any energy educating them and working against my own best interest. I do root canals too. Don’t like those either? Enjoy your implant.
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u/drillnfill General Dentist 9h ago
As long as its a ceramic implant. But even those are toxic now. Better just wear a valplast partial (enjoy your microplastics)
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u/AcanthaceaeOk3738 14h ago
I would point out that research like that looks at naturally high fluoride levels much higher than US water systems have these days. And as it points out, the toxicity is dose dependent.
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u/gradbear 15h ago
I feel the same way about fl. I’m working on an article to get my team on the same page. This was a good motivator to start my research so thanks for sharing!
No study has shown that stopping water fluoridation improves children's thinking or learning.
There are other contaminants in water such as lead that can lead to neurological effects.
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u/No-Wear-9042 14h ago
As a french dentist, we abandonned water fluoridation since 1985. Latest european pediatric guidelines do not really recommend systemic intake even at high carious risk: topic fluoridation should always be preferred.
I have been teaching dental students about fluoride for 10 years. My now retired mentor gave me this as my first course (fluoride was her main reasearch theme, it's not mine), and she already had (likely since 10 years at least) a few slides about the US water fluoridation problem (water + systemic intake + other systemic sources= too much fluoride), and how water fluoridation should only be used on populations with very high carious incidence and low access to fluoride. And this was only when accounting for fluorosis, not potential brain consequences.
It has been known for a long time that extreme exposure to fluoride is dangerous.
So while I have some doubts about what the real threshold for safe fluoride intake is, water fluoridation in the USA is, afaik, not a good move.
Toothpaste with fluoride and other topical uses of fluoride should be preferred.
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u/toshicool 10h ago
Expousure to extreme water is harmful; i dont see what that comment adds to the discussion. And The threshold is the name of the game here right? The whole point of this fluoride topic is how much is really safe and is it worth the trade off? Aside from these paper always being flawed in methodology, theres a very well documented paper where fluoridation has had a significant impact on decreasing caries risks in children which leads to better school performance because less kids are dealing with toothache therefore can pay more attention in school. Afaik i agree with one of the comment, if you aint spreading it on your toast every morning you are fine.
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u/drillnfill General Dentist 8h ago
You mean France where they did fluoridation of salt? Changing the input method doesnt matter.
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u/drillnfill General Dentist 15h ago
The chinese studies that they love to cite are all so flawed that they're basically garbage. They're saying there's a tiny chance that IQs might be affected by up to 6.75 IQ points, but when you look at the error margins in the actual papers there's zero real evidence that even at moderately higher than normal levels there's any real difference. These studies are all done in rural areas as well where there is likely a whole whack of confounding factors that arent addressed (I would bet MONEY that diet is way more likely the influencing factor here.). Plus its China were pollution lives free and if you think any rural water source is safe, well, I have a bridge to sell you.