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Fluoride (/ ˈ f l ʊər aɪ d, ˈ f l ɔːr-/) [3] is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula F − (also written [F] −), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typically have distinctive bitter tastes, and are odorless.
Dr. Dean's research on the fluoride-dental caries relationship, published in 1942, included 7,000 children from 21 cities in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. The study concluded that the optimal amount of fluoride which minimized the risk of severe fluorosis but had positive benefits for tooth decay was 1 mg per day, per adult.
Fluoride's effects depend on the total daily intake of fluoride from all sources. Drinking water is typically the largest source; [19] other methods of fluoride therapy include fluoridation of toothpaste, salt, and milk. [20] The views on the most efficient method for community prevention of tooth decay are mixed.
How did fluoride end up in tap water? Municipalities in the United States began adding fluoride to drinking water in 1945 in an attempt to support good tooth health in children, according to the CDC .
Water fluoridation is a practice adding fluoride to drinking water for the purpose of decreasing tooth decay. The architect of these first fluoride studies was Dr. H. Trendley Dean, head of the Dental Hygiene Unit at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Dean began investigating the epidemiology of fluorosis in 1931.
The 324-page report did not reach a conclusion about the risks of lower levels of fluoride, saying more study is needed. It also did not answer what high levels of fluoride might do to adults.
Fluoride was first added to the drinking water for the Victorian town of Bacchus Marsh in 1962, with Melbourne beginning fluoridation in 1977. [44] The towns of Portland and Port Fairy have naturally occurring fluoride in their drinking water. [45] As of October 2024, approximately 90% of the Victorian population had fluoridated water. [45]
Kennedy has also pushed to remove fluoride from drinking water supplies. The chemical has been added to U.S. water since 1945 to help prevent tooth decay and is one of the most common ways to ...