|
When several regions in the former East Germany halted the artificial
fluoridation of their water, they braced themselves for an expected rise
in dental caries (cavities). However, as it turns out, they needn't have
worried at all, since dental decay
rates actually WENT DOWN.
Although this outcome would seem contrary to commonly held beliefs,
researchers hypothesize that the broader availability and application
of preventive measures such as fluoride toothpaste, as well as improvements
in attitudes towards oral health behavior.
According to researchers, following the cessation of public water fluoridation,
" ... a significant fall in caries prevalence was observed. This
trend corresponded to the national caries decline and appeared to be a
new population-wide phenomenon."
In other words, cavity rates
are coming down throughout Germany, irrelevant to whether or not the water
is fluoridated.
-
Researchers studied more than 15,000 children
in the formerly fluoridated German towns of Spremberg and Zittau.
-
Children had been examined repeatedly over the
last 20 years.
-
Caries levels for 12-year-old children significantly
decreased during the years 1993 through 1996.
- DMFT fell from 2.36 to 1.45 (38.5%) in Spremberg
and from 2.47 to 1.96 (20.6%) in Zittau.
According to the study, the results provide " ... further
support for the contention that caries prevalence may continue to fall
after the reduction of fluoride concentration in the water supply from
about 1 ppm to below 0.2 ppm F."
The authors not that similar findings have been
reported following the removal of fluoridation programs in the towns of
Chemnitz and Plauen.
They also note that the average DMFT of 1.81 for
the 12-year-old children in the 4 fluoride-free towns " ... is the
lowest observed in East Germany during the past 40 years".
Community Dentistry
and Oral Epidemiology October 2000; 28: 382-9
| 