Fluoridation POLL

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Originally Posted by Disco Muppet

It's more a direct application in a more concentrated form (i.e topical, brushing it directly onto the teeth.)
It's like saying why use a bar of soap when you can just dunk your hands in soapy water.

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Actually, DM, as you say direct application is more concentrated but we are talking about fluoridated water here. Fluoride exerts its major effect by creating low levels of fluoride ions in saliva and plaque fluid, thus exerting a surface effect. A person living in an area with fluoridated water may experience rises of fluoride concentration in saliva to about 0.04 mg/L several times during a day.
So quite literally, as my old ma used to say, "just like liquid getting into this chalk".
You don't need to swish it over your teeth (although that will help), you just need to ingest it.

That's as may be, but my soapy water analogy was for Waz's benefit :)
Personally I don't see any huge harm in it, but I'd like to think we still have the option of a choice.

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Originally Posted by Disco Muppet

That's as may be, but my soapy water analogy was for Waz's benefit :)
Personally I don't see any huge harm in it, but I'd like to think we still have the option of a choice.

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What? Soap or soapy water?
I use cream cleanser.

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Originally Posted by waz

How do you drink water so it doesn't touch your teeth?

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I think you've missed the bit about concentration.
Flouride in toothpaste is highly concentrated, so it can do it's work in the short space of time your teeth are soaking in it (substituting the softer calcium in your tooth enamel for the harder flouride).

When dosed in water the concentrations are much much lower. So much lower that you would need to leave your teeth soaking in flouridated water for a huge amount of time to have any comparable effect.
As we know, people don't do this.

The delivery method of dosing up the body with flouride until it comes out the saliva and onto the teeth has been mentioned. This is the equivalent of filling up the walls in your house with water until it comes out the taps.

Personally I see flouride in water as nothing other than compulsory mass-medication. Which I am against.

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Originally Posted by Dougal

This is the equivalent of filling up the walls in your house with water until it comes out the taps.

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Ridiculous analogy.

South Australia has had their water fluoridated for years now.... and it hasn't done me any harm (I don't think... or perhaps it did... I bought I Land Rover:wasntme:)

Anyhow every now and then on one of the local talk back radio stations, they have the debate on whether flouride is good for you or not. These debates bring out all the different and exciting reasons we shouldn't have fluoride in our water, and the one I love the best is:

The Government is using fluoride to dumb down the population so it can be controlled more easily!!!

There is also debate as to the type of Fluoride that is pumped into our water.... apparently (and im only going by what I have heard, so a bit of paraphrasing here) the fluoride that is used in our water is a by-product of the Aluminium smelting process and not the high grade fluoride that our dentists use.

The other argument going around is Tooth decay is on the rise here in SA, as more and more kids are drinking bottled water and not tap water, so there is a call now for bottled water to have fluoride introduced into it.

And for the Record I voted "Yes" to the poll.

Cheers

Matt

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Originally Posted by mattadelaide1975

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The other argument going around is Tooth decay is on the rise here in SA, as more and more kids are drinking bottled water and not tap water, so there is a call now for bottled water to have fluoride introduced into it.

And for the Record I voted "Yes" to the poll.

Cheers

Matt

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Australian and NZ standards allow for fluoride in bottled water and there are many brands that have it. Also depending in which state Coca Cola is bottled it also contains fluoride.

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Originally Posted by Chucaro

Australian and NZ standards allow for fluoride in bottled water and there are many brands that have it. Also depending in which state Coca Cola is bottled it also contains fluoride.

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Wouldn't all the other crap in the cola destroy the fluoride? Might be a question for Ben.

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Originally Posted by Dougal

Personally I see flouride in water as nothing other than compulsory mass-medication. Which I am against.

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I hope JohnF and Treads don't read this.:wasntme:

Personally I think fluoride is a good thing. When I was a kid I was given fluoride tablets, used to hate them as they tasted horrible, and having just turned 58(today) I still have all my teeth. I have to admit I do not look after them anywhere close to what we are told to do.

There was a newspaper story I read a few years ago by a dentist who was comparing some of the small country towns around my area.

He did some research and noted that tooth decay was substantially higher in the towns that did not have fluoride and he believed this to be the cause.

I also thought that the benefits was pretty much proven.

And for the record I voted yes.

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Originally Posted by Mr Whippy

I hope JohnF and Treads don't read this.:wasntme:

Personally I think fluoride is a good thing. When I was a kid I was given fluoride tablets, used to hate them as they tasted horrible, and having just turned 58(today) I still have all my teeth. I have to admit I do not look after them anywhere close to what we are told to do.

There was a newspaper story I read a few years ago by a dentist who was comparing some of the small country towns around my area.

He did some research and noted that tooth decay was substantially higher in the towns that did not have fluoride and he believed this to be the cause.

I also thought that the benefits was pretty much proven.

And for the record I voted yes.

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The interesting thing about the data from flouride in water is the correlation =/= causation thing.
I don't know any 58 year olds who don't have their own teeth. Despite them living in an area that has never had flouridated water.

One test was run in NZ with data from two cities of equal size and not much distance apart.
The kids in the one with flouridated water had better teeth.
But if you ignore the flouride, you'll find the kids in the more prosperous of the two cities had better teeth.

So which was it? The children with better off parents having a better diet, better healthcare and thus better teeth or was it just the flouride?

IMO it's a single variable that is impossible to sift out.

If you want flouride. That's fine. You're free to add it to your own water.