YOUR DENTAL HEALTH Water Fluoridation By Dr. Jesh There are few topics dentistry m divisive to the general public than that of water uoridtion Canada remains as one of the countries with the highest number of communities with water floridation incffoct British Columbia, bowever, has very few communitics remaining that still participate in water 0ridation. Kelowna having shpped this practice since 1996. Although the peos and cons of water fluoridation are still being debated to this day, l believe only a very small percentage of the population anc actually know very much about either side of the debate. This artiele is meant to help Dr. Jesh Tse minate the health bensfits so that you, as a reader, can get a botter fccl for why most dentists coetinue to encourage the usage of uoride for the improvement of oral health. Fluorides are a group of naturally occurring compounds that contain the dlemena luorine. They can be tound in water and sol at varying levels. Interest in fluoride began in the carly 1900's when a dentist, Dr Frederick McKay noticed there was an increased prevalence in toeth that showed a mottling or staining of the cnamel of the toeth. What was intcresting about hese loeth, however, was the absence of tooth decay Clearly soenething that was shared by these people was affecting the peesentation of their teeth and increasing the resistance of these toeth to cavities With further study, it was found that the source of this was the drinking water and that fuoride was the variable. Fluoeide acts by binding to the mincral structure of the tooth so make it more resistant to acid breakdown, while eshancing rcmincralization of cnamcl onee docay has staried, Recently, It has also been discovered that it reduces the ability od decay causing bacteria to athcre to the surface of the tooth, thorcby creating another mcthod of minimizing cavsties Inthe 1940s, Dr H Trendley Dean found that the ideal amount of fluoide was one part per mition parts of water (1.0ppm). This concentration was found to resalt in healthy, attractive secth lacking the moeding and staining (now known as fluorosis staining) while still having one third as many cavities as might ocherwise be expoctol, Gradually, morc communiies in the US and Canada began to adopt water Buoridstion in order to control the incidencc of tooth decay, leading the CDC (Cr for Disease Control and Prevention to consider water 1ndation as one of the greatest achievements in pablie health in the 20th century So if Fluorids has been shown to be so beneficial, what is tho controversy? One that I hear oien at the dental office is that flooride is also used as a rat poison. While it may soem inconceivable that we would actively coetaminabe our water supply with something used to kil rodents, it noeds to be pointed out that this is a maner of concentration. In large dosages, many sabstances can be found to be soxic so people, even something as benign as pure wator. In the trace amounts that are pecsent in duoridated water, howeret, there have been no credible studies showing an association between fluoridatod watcr and toxicity or an incrcasod risk of cancer The main argument agaist watcr faoridation, however, is one that 1 can agrce with Although 1 am convinced of the safety and efficacy of fluoride as an aid in the prevention of dental decay, fluceidating the drinking watr removes the choice of the individual from the equation. As well, with the opicall usage of fluoeide in soothpastes and dental applications, the overall bencfit of water fluoridation is redaced As we live in an area where water Gaoridation is not administorad, these two sources romain the best methods of obtaining this beneficial ingredient AURA A Call: 778-754-AURA (2872) DENTAL CLINIC ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS GENERAL&FAMILY DENTISTRY DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SEDATION OPTIONS AVAILABLE FAMILY ORIENTED CARE EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS CALL: 778-754-AURA (2872) www.WESTKELOWNADENTAL CA