Fluoride in toothpaste?

[Hermit]

Can't work out if you're agreeing with me or not

I think it's a case of balancing risk. If there was a flesh eating, highly contagious and lethal bug going around I would be happy to be medicated with something that hadn't been thoroughly researched....but to help prevent tooth decay ?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not particularly worried about fluoride. It's more the principle involved.

[12mp82]

Can't work out if you're agreeing with me or not

I see what you mean

A lot of people go blindly into doing what they are told what is good for them, whether it is a vaccine or flouride in their water to hopefully prevent something or other, it will probably need a life time of individual study to find out that an illness in later life is linked to something we were given when we were kids.

In the mean time do we really think that flouride in the water is good for the majority of the general population or bad for just one or two so should be stopped ?

[Hermit]

In the mean time do we really think that flouride in the water is good for the majority of the general population or bad for just one or two so should be stopped ?

For me personally I prefer to have a choice in whether I take medication or not. Base my decision on the risk of both the disease and the risk in taking the medication. Doing what is right for me, not what might be right for the majority.

So to answer your question I dont think adding flouride to the water supply is a good idea. It is at best under researched (check out the "Bad Science" Article on Fluoride), and at worst potentially dangerous. As I said before, fluoride is not really the issue for me, more the principle.

Having said that I do use a toothpaste containing fluoride, but that is by choice

[12mp82]

Only about 10% of UK properties receive fluoride in their water supply, something in the region of 6.1 million.

Another third of a million have naturally flouridated water, some of which is stronger than the artificially dosed water.

About 5.8 million have the natural levels topped up to 1 part per million.

Some facts and figures that may help

http://www.bfsweb.org/onemillion/09%20O ... dation.pdf

Also

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Fluoride/P ... ction.aspx

Problems might occur when you live in an area with natural levels of fluoridation, should it be removed ?

[Hermit]

Interesting links. But when you take into account this quote from Ben Goldacre you might question some of their claims.

The reality is that anybody making any confident statement about fluoride – positive or negative – is speaking way beyond the evidence.

Here is a link to the complete article http://www.badscience.net/2008/02/forei ... ly-fluids/

To my way of thinking adding fluoride to the water supply is much the same as making a vaccination compulsory, I prefer a choice.

Anyways, I've told you what I think, what is your opinion ?

[12mp82]

I'm quite happy with the levels of flouride in the water supply and in the toothpaste. See, big smile And I highly doubt it is a government thing, if it was everyones supply would be affected, which it isn't.

Did the Germans really use flouride to sedate, apparently there is a big question mark over that claim.

http://onespeedbikerpolitico.blogspot.c ... nazis.html

[12mp82]

much the same as making a vaccination compulsory

Strange you should say that

http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid ... 04&bih=651

Plenty of sites discussing such a move, and they were/are talking about it both here and in the US

[Hermit]

And I highly doubt it is a government thing, if it was everyones supply would be affected, which it isn't.

From the same link I posted

This week Alan Johnson announced a major new push for putting it in the drinking water, with some very grand promises, and in the face of serious opposition.

So at the very least the idea was promoted or "pushed" by the Government

No idea about the Germans

[12mp82]

Yet only 10% of the population has had flouride added to the water in over 40 years.

[12mp82]

From the site you linked to Hermit.

http://www.badscience.net/2008/02/forei ... ly-fluids/

Campaigners say Nazis used it to subdue people in concentration camps.

Also

But since I’m in the mood for some scaremongering, let’s not forget the potential harms. Fluoridation will give around one in eight people mottled teeth (“fluorosis”). And there’s something else to worry about, if you like worrying. An observational study from Taiwan found a high incidence of bladder cancer in women from areas where the natural fluoride content in water was high. It might easily have been a chance finding – the study in question measured lots of variables, and if you measure enough things, then some of them are bound to come out positive, just by chance. But it could be real

Far too many things we consume can be linked to one problem or another, usually when overdosed, remember the food colouring a few years back, caused cancer in rats when fed recommended daily dose for adult humans, strange that.