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THURSDAY, Aug. 20, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
Fluoride in drinking water reduces the odds for severe cavities<\/a> in baby teeth<\/a>, researchers from New Zealand report.<\/p>\n Although fluoridated toothpaste<\/a> is widely available, fluoridated water continues to show a benefit in reducing cavities<\/a>, said Dr. Howard Pollick, a health sciences clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry.<\/p>\n “Community water fluoridation is the most effective tool to reduce disparities in oral health<\/a> and is especially important at a time during the COVID-19<\/a> pandemic when access to preventive dental services is reduced,” Pollick said in a news release from the American Dental Association. He was not involved in the study.<\/p>\n For the report, researchers led by Philip Schluter from the University of Canterbury School of Health Sciences in Christchurch collected data on nearly 276,000 children in New Zealand with a median age of 4 — half older than 4, half younger. Some kids lived in areas where fluoride was added to the water, and others lived in areas without fluoridated water.<\/p>\n They found that kids drinking fluoridated water were less likely to develop severe cavities<\/a> than the other children.<\/p>\n The children were part of New Zealand’s B4 School Check screening program between July 2010 and June 2016.<\/p>\n “Premature loss of ‘baby teeth<\/a>‘ can cause serious malalignment of the permanent teeth<\/a>,” said Dr. Leon Stanislav, chair of the American Dental Association’s national fluoridation advisory committee.<\/p>\n “This is aside from pain<\/a> and suffering of tooth decay<\/a>, abscessed baby teeth<\/a>, and the cost of dental care treating such preventable conditions. Also, the unnecessary trauma<\/a> of treating childhood decay comes into play,” Stanislav said.<\/p>\n ADA advisory committee members pointed out that baby teeth<\/a> are essential for an adequate nutrition<\/a> process (chewing, biting) and proper speech development. They are also key to maintaining space and guiding the eruption of the permanent teeth<\/a>.<\/p>\n The study was published online recently in the journal JAMA Pediatrics<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n — Steven Reinberg<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\n References<\/p>\n
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\n SOURCE: American Dental Association, news release, Aug. 12, 2020
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