Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay by hindering the growth of plaque-forming bacteria. Public water supplies often add fluoride to the drinking water. Communities that fluoridate their water can reduce tooth decay rates by 50 percent, according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Fluoride, a common ingredient in toothpaste and mouthwash, may be applied as a varnish treatment at the dentist's office or may be taken in tablet form. Fluoride has benefits and risks associated with its use in children and adults.
Oral Care for Cancer Patients
Complications from cancer treatment can impair the function of bone marrow and cause teeth to become malformed. Chemotherapy and radiation can lead to oral mucositis--inflammation of mucous membranes, oral infection and increased oral pain. Cancer treatments can also cause viral, bacterial or fungal infection, dryness of the mouth and altered tooth development.
Supplemental fluoride treatment can help alleviate some symptoms, prevent infection and protect the teeth and mouth from decay and demineralization, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Cancer patients at risk for oral complications from cancer treatments are advised to brush with fluoride toothpaste and/or use supplemental fluoride gel in trays or as a painted-on varnish. Oral infections can cause fever or other complications.
High-Risk Dental Patients
Oral health is connected to your overall health, according to the Mayo Clinic. The mouth is full of bacteria that can enter the bloodstream and cause health issues in other parts of your body. Dentists frequently use in-office fluoride treatments to protect the oral health of high-risk patients: Patients who have poor oral hygiene, eating disorders, drug abuse, exposed root surfaces, decreased salivary flow, tooth enamel defects or are undergoing head and neck radiation, according to the March 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association.
Enamel Fluorosis
Too much fluoride may lead to enamel fluorosis. This condition causes defects in tooth enamel that show up as tiny white specks on the teeth, discoloration, brown markings or pitted and rough tooth enamel, notes the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Children can get fluorosis by swallowing too much fluoride from the water supply, from fluoride toothpastes or from other dental products containing fluoride.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that you find out the fluoride concentration in your drinking water. Optimal levels of fluoride range between 0.7 ppm to 1.2 ppm. Parents should brush the teeth of children under the age of 6, or at least supervise the tooth brushing. This is important because children younger than 6 have not learned to control the swallowing reflex. Children under the age of 2 should not use fluoride toothpaste unless recommended by a dentist or other health care provider, according to the CDC.
Fluoride Toxicity
Too much fluoride is toxic to the human body. Fluoride is a strong acid that can burn mucous membranes and can cause inhibition of normal blood coagulation; it is also a metabolic poison and can even cause death, according to a study published in the March-April 1990 issue of Drug Safety magazine.
Dental surgeon Geoffrey E. Smith expressed his concern about fluoridation in the June 1984 Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners. With all the possible sources of fluoride ingestion--in the water supply, in toothpastes and in a variety of other everyday sources--the risk of overdose increases.
References
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry: Fluoride
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry: Enamel Fluorosis
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: Oral Complications of Cancer Treatment
- Mayo Clinic: Oral Health
- Journal of the American Dental Association: Fluoride Treatments in the Dental Office
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