After six decades of exhaustive study, researchers have found little evidence that adding fluoride to public water supplies actually improves dental health. But they did find that fluoridation may be a serious risk to public health, which is why some European countries have stopped adding fluoride to their drinking supplies.
What are the health risks?
One unintended side effect all experts agree on is that drinking too must fluoridated water can cause dental fluorosis. While not a serious health issue, the condition results in unsightly spots and marks on the teeth, which cannot be removed by brushing alone. Dental fluorosis may also have a deleterious effect on the structure of teeth.
A far more serious disorder that is caused by fluoridated water, skeletal fluorosis occurs when imbibed fluoride accumulates in the skeleton. Over time, the condition can result in minor aches and pains and later in chronic arthritis.
The most serious charge that has been leveled against fluoridation in recent years is that it may do damage to the brain during early development. Numerous studies conducted in China found that reductions in children’s IQs were highly correlated to abnormally high concentrations of fluoride in the drinking water they ingested.