The use of fluoride to reduce tooth decay is very controversial. Many studies show that fluoride is a chemical toxin and induces carcinogenesis in human and animal research, yet other studies reveal that fluoride is not mutagenic. While many studies show that fluoride or fluoridation reduces tooth decay and may prevent caries, other data reveals that fluoride actually increases tooth decay. Since nutritional methods help the body eliminate decay without harm, there is little confidence in a toxic synthetic chemical, like fluoride, for the prevention of tooth decay, if it results in more cancer.

We should give this information to the public and let them decide. Isn’t that fair … after all it is their decision? It is the patient’s choice … isn’t it? The toxicity of fluoride has caused many countries to rethink the fluoride issue and many have rescinded fluoride in favor of the health of their people. Those banning fluoride are Sweden, Norway, Denmark, West Germany (now unified), Italy, Belgium, Austria, France, and The Netherlands. Despite these retractions of fluoride, the US still presses on with the goal to fluoridate (or more accurately to poison) every community water supply in the United States.

Most dentists are very familiar with the American Dental Association’s and other "authoritative" positions on fluoride. They rarely mention its toxic potential or the few studies revealing increased tooth decay after fluoride use. The research of Burk and Yiamouyiannis revealed that every major city with fluoride had increased rates of cancer. Not a fair trade for "good looking teeth". As health professionals, we don’t want to harm patients in any way and fluoride produces great harm, with little, if any, benefit.

Fluoride has been found to cause unscheduled DNA synthesis, sister chromatid exchanges and other mutagenic effects on the cells. These terms may not bother some people, but they mean that there will be an increase in mutagenesis, which can lead to cancer after the ingestion of fluoride. Tsutsui, et al found that the addition of fluoride to healthy liver cells, in vitro, could establish changes that can only be described as cancerous. Our environment is full of toxic chemicals with which we have to deal with daily … adding another one to our water is not health-promoting.

In addition to dentist prescribing fluoride drops and tablets, many pediatricians routinely give out fluoride prescriptions. What they don’t realize is that fluoride causes internal damage to our body. Fluoride has been linked to kidney damage, lowered IQ, fluorosis, and was found to be neurotoxic by some researchers. Fluoride chemically is a highly reactive substance and has the potential for great damage internally. Waldbott, in his excellent book on Fluoride, lists many diseases and organs damaged caused by fluoride.

Disorders caused by Fluoride: (ref: Waldbott)

Headaches GI disturbances

Chronic Fatigue Nausea

Muscular Weakness Dizziness

Muscle stiffness Muscular Spasms

Visual Problems Skin rash

Dehydration Depression

Nervousness Constipation

Itching Arthritic-like aches

Loss of Mental Acuity Mouth sores

Urinary tract irritation Loss of balance

Tingling sensations (fingers/feet)

The ADA ‘s official position is that fluoride is safe, yet there have been deaths of children in the dentist office due to fluoride (albeit very few). The point here is that this is not to be taken lightly. Yet, school nurses with little training are doing fluoride treatments on children. In a letter the ADA, apologizing for fluoride, stated, "There are three basic compounds commonly used for fluoridating drinking water supplies in the United States: sodium fluoride, sodium silicofluoride, and hydrofluorosilicic acid." Now any chemist can tell you that these are not the sodium fluoride we are all told about. Sodium hydrofluorosilicic acid is one of the most reactive chemical species know to man. Its toxicity is known in many chemical circles. It will eat through metal/plastic pipes and corrode many materials including stainless steel and other metals. It will dissolve rubber tires and melt concrete. This very reactive and highly toxic chemical is added to our water to produce "healthy teeth".

Although many studies have evaluated the effects of fluoride on dental hard tissues, few studies have considered the long-reaching effects of fluoride on the CNS soft tissues and the neurotoxic effects on the developing brain in children. Alterations in the nervous system were produced by Varner et al (98) by the chronic administration of sodium fluoride. Isaacson et al, also studied sodium fluoride in relation to dementias. Varner et al, (94) reported similar findings. The effects of fluoride on the developing brain were studied by Mullenix and her associates. They correlated a direct relationship between fluoride plasma levels and the severity of the effect on the brain. In short, the neurotoxic effect of fluoride on the developing brain was seen. Li X S, et al, (Fluoride 28(4):189, 1995) and Zhan, L B, et al, (Fluoride 29(4):190-192, 1996) studied the effects of fluoride on children’s intelligence. Fluoride lowered the children’s IQ and has been linked to brain damage in a linear relationship. Furthermore, fluoride has been found to cause heart damage and heart disorders in animal research.

These remarks on the neurotoxic effects of fluoride Zhao, L B, et al, "Effect of Fluoridated Water Supply on Children’s Intelligence", Fluoride, 29:190-192, 1996 are self explanatory.

Fluoride Does the Following:

C inactivates 62 enzymes (Judd)

inactivates 62 enzymes (Judd)

C increases the aging process (Yiamouyiannis)

increases the aging process (Yiamouyiannis)

C increases the incidence of cancer growth (Waldbott/Yiamouyiannis)

increases the incidence of cancer growth (Waldbott/Yiamouyiannis)

C disrupts the immune system (Waldbott)

disrupts the immune system (Waldbott)

C causes genetic damage (Tsutsui, et al)

causes genetic damage (Tsutsui, et al)

C interrupts DNA repair-enzyme activity (Waldbott)

interrupts DNA repair-enzyme activity (Waldbott)

C increased arthritis and

increased arthritis and C is a systemic poison.

In 1944, L P Anthony, DDS editor of the Journal of the American Dental Association, stated, "Fluoride is a highly toxic substance…. " How soon we forget our previous history. It was in this era (the 1940s) that the US government was doing research on fluoride because of its use in the making of atomic weapons. Amazingly scientists on the Manhattan Project discovered that fluoride was highly toxic and very harmful if ingested. Yet, this information was covered up when the Public Health Service decided to fluoridated Grand Rapids Michigan in that same time period (1945). This information was only recently uncovered, when many of the documents concerning atomic era were declassified and released to the public.

Roy E Hanford, MD, (in "Where is Science Taking US? reprint from Saturday Review) stated, "….we have very strong circumstantial evidence of systemic toxicity of the so-called absolutely safe concentrate of fluoridated water." Dr Charles Heyd, Past AMA president, also noted, "Don't drink fluoridated water …. Fluoride is a corrosive poison which will produce harm on a long term basis." Geoffrey Smith stated, "Recent studies suggest that fluoride may be genotoxic." (p 79, Smith) And added, "There is now a substantial body of evidence suggesting that fluoride is mutagenic." (p 93, Smith)

Gibson also noted, "Fluoride is one of the most toxic inorganic chemicals in the Earth's crust, … However, with increasing experience, doubts about both safety and efficacy have arisen." (p 111, Gibson) And he added, "A possible link between fluoridation of public water supplies and an increase in the cancer death rate has been debated for over 20 years and there is now no doubt that fluoride can cause genetic damage." (p 111, Gibson) Gibson noted, "Inhibitory effects of fluoride on different enzyme systems have been demonstrated." (p 111, Gibson) And, "A section of the population may therefore be at risk of compromised immune system function from water fluoridation schemes." (p 112, Gibson) Get the drift; fluoride is not everything it is cracked up to be. Mutagenic, enzyme inhibition, genetic damage, increased cancer rates, genotoxic and controversial, all describe fluoride.

Tsutsui, et al, noted, a significant increase in chromosome aberrations at the chromatid level, sister chromatid exchanges, and unscheduled DNA synthesis was induced by NaF in a dose- and time-dependent manner. They stated, "These results indicate that NaF is genotoxic and capable of inducing neoplastic transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells in culture." (p 938, Tsutsui et al) Fluoride is toxic, fluoride is non-toxic; fluoride causes cancer, fluoride doesn't cause cancer. Who is correct?

Some 61,000 cancer deaths in the US result from fluoridation each year. (Burk and Yiamouyiannis) One study found that fluoride elevates cancer mortality 17% in 16 years in large cities. (from Gerald Judd, PhD) "You have been led to believe the fluorine makes teeth harder. "The fact is, it actually makes teeth softer." (George Meinig, DDS, a founder of the American Academy of Endodontics) The US sees a 22% increase in decay every 16 years from fluoride use and a 50% decline in decay every 20 years compared with Finland's 98%, Sweden's 80% and Holland's 72%. … and they are non-fluoridated. (Gerald Judd)

The truth about the ill-effects of a known toxin, fluoride, should be told. Fluoride is a potent neurotoxin and this has been known for some time; at least since the early 1940s, well before the fluoridation experiment with Grand Rapids. Dr Gerard Judd, PhD (chemistry), [emeritus Manhatten Project] found that fluoride can inactivate 62 enzyme systems. As a naturopath, nutritionist, master herbalist, and dentist, I cannot endorse a substance that has known detrimental effects.

Here are two articles on mutations caused by fluoride:

Sodium Fluoride-induced Morphological and Neoplastic Transformation Chromosome Aberrations, Sister Chromatid Exchanges, and Unscheduled DNA Synthesis in Cultured Syrian Hamster Embryo Cells, Takeki Tsutsui, Nobuko Suzuki and Manabu Ohmori, Can Res, 44:938-941, 1984 (March)

Sodium Fluoride-induced Chromosome Aberrations in Different Stages of the Cell Cycle: A Proposed Mechanism, Marilyn J Aardema, et al, Mutation Research, 223:191-203, 1989

These titles say it all.

The fluoride controversy comes down to …

Who Do We Really Believe?

Who Do We Really Believe?

Therefore, because of the controversial research on fluoride, its use should be up to the parent or patient and they need both sides of the story to make an "intelligent" decision. The EPA found that at 2 ppm salmon became sterile, yet at 1 ppm it is placed in our water supply. (Dr Richard Foulkes) Fluoride only helps [if it helps at all] children up to age 12. Yet, everybody is "forced" to drink it. Oscar Ewing, who pushed fluoride in the legislature, told the Senators not to drink it.

By endorsing fluoride one eliminates the need for nutritional intervention for prevention of tooth decay. Nutritional intervention, tooth-brushing, oral rinses and a good diet will stop tooth decay. Fluoride does not stop rampant tooth decay and only hardens the outer surface of the enamel. Fluoride may prevent calcium from being deposited when a tooth is re-mineralized. Nutrition hardens teeth and stops tooth decay without harming the patient. Fluoride hardens enamel and causes great internal harm. Is the risk really worth the benefit? What benefit?

Originally written Aug 2, 2000

Ted H Spence, DDS, ND

References:

Waldbott, George, MD, Fluoride: The Great Dilemma, 1978, Coronado Press, Lawrence, KS

Yaimouyiannis, John, Fluoride: The Aging Factor, 1993, Health Action Press, Delaware, OH 43015

Richard Foulkes, BA, MD, "Where Have All the Fish Gone? Fluoridation: Civic Absurdity and Sanction of Pollution", Presented to the IAOMT Conference, Oct 1-2, 1993

Ellen H Brown, JD and Richard Hansen, DMD, FACAD, The Key to Ultimate Health, 1999, Advanced Health Research Publishing, Fullerton, CA

George Meinig, DDS, Root Canal Cover Up Exposed, 1993, Bion Publishing, Ojai, CA

Eustace Mullins, Murder By Injection, 1988, National Council for Medical Research, Staunton, VA 24401