I was surprised by both fluoridated water's lack of efficacy against tooth decay and the inverse correlation to intelligence quotient. Growing up stateside, the prevailing sentiment regarding fluoridated water was positive. Decades ago, I was a staunch supporter.
I wonder if today's relative inefficacy is largely due to better oral hygiene in the general population, i.e. more folks brush with fluoridated toothpastes and floss much more regularly, such that there is much less room for the fluoride in the water to improve outcomes. Of course, fewer and fewer drink unfiltered tap water, as George Carlin noted 30 years ago. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDCHP3Piu8
Thus, one may ask, are any modern improvements in dental hygiene truly attributable to fluoridated water?
I was also surprised to learn that Great Britain largely does not fluoridate its own water given the B.B.C.'s staunch position in favor of fluoridation. This discrepancy perhaps illustrates the B.B.C.'s motives in portraying the scientific consensus as irreconcilable with a particular foreign political appointee.
All this said, the fluoride in nearly all toothpastes dwarfs the fluoride in tap water by more than a thousand times. If there is a safety issue, to me anyway, it seems it would be paramount there.
The end of that Carlin clip was funny -- I didn't see it coming!
If I remember right, a lot of Great Britain fluoridates, but not the majority. But it does sound as if the BBC Verify wishes it were their entire country. π
It just seems to me that if the B.B.C. really felt it were that big a deal, its focus should be inward, and it should be more critical of its government's domestic choices than of a foreign political appointee's stance on the issue.
This is very informative, especially since I am completely ignoring what is going on in the world. Personally, I prefer that the water is not fluoridated. I suspect it gives people artificial comfort. The bottom line is we need to brush and floss every day!! Better school lunches would be great since this may be the best meal some children eat every day. You may be amused to know I like to see what the BBC says about US events because I suspect they are more objective than many of the so-called journalists in the USA!!
I was surprised by both fluoridated water's lack of efficacy against tooth decay and the inverse correlation to intelligence quotient. Growing up stateside, the prevailing sentiment regarding fluoridated water was positive. Decades ago, I was a staunch supporter.
I wonder if today's relative inefficacy is largely due to better oral hygiene in the general population, i.e. more folks brush with fluoridated toothpastes and floss much more regularly, such that there is much less room for the fluoride in the water to improve outcomes. Of course, fewer and fewer drink unfiltered tap water, as George Carlin noted 30 years ago. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDCHP3Piu8
Thus, one may ask, are any modern improvements in dental hygiene truly attributable to fluoridated water?
I was also surprised to learn that Great Britain largely does not fluoridate its own water given the B.B.C.'s staunch position in favor of fluoridation. This discrepancy perhaps illustrates the B.B.C.'s motives in portraying the scientific consensus as irreconcilable with a particular foreign political appointee.
All this said, the fluoride in nearly all toothpastes dwarfs the fluoride in tap water by more than a thousand times. If there is a safety issue, to me anyway, it seems it would be paramount there.
The end of that Carlin clip was funny -- I didn't see it coming!
If I remember right, a lot of Great Britain fluoridates, but not the majority. But it does sound as if the BBC Verify wishes it were their entire country. π
It just seems to me that if the B.B.C. really felt it were that big a deal, its focus should be inward, and it should be more critical of its government's domestic choices than of a foreign political appointee's stance on the issue.
Very interesting
Solid research, thank you. The shadow of the John Birch Society still looms over this issue. I recently got into an argument about this and was wrong.
Being able to admit one was wrong is the sign of a sharp mind!
Ralph Waldo Emerson put it best, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of simple minds." Thankfully Annabelle is pretty magnanimous!
This is very informative, especially since I am completely ignoring what is going on in the world. Personally, I prefer that the water is not fluoridated. I suspect it gives people artificial comfort. The bottom line is we need to brush and floss every day!! Better school lunches would be great since this may be the best meal some children eat every day. You may be amused to know I like to see what the BBC says about US events because I suspect they are more objective than many of the so-called journalists in the USA!!
Totally agree about better school lunches. All children deserve good nutrition. And yeah, there are a lot of bad journalists in the USA. :(
https://substack.com/profile/293420365-federico-soto-del-alba/note/c-91163367