Fluoride And The Oral Environment

Provides up-to-date information on the rationale for the use of fluoride in dentistry This volume brings together current concepts relating to the use of fluoride in dentistry. In contributions written by expert authors, data from this large and complex field have been assembled into a clear sequence and presented in a lucid fashion. The first section deals with the sources of fluoride intake and its metabolism, in order to fully understand fluoride toxicity and the importance of monitoring intake. The second section focuses in more detail on modes of fluoride application and the mechanisms by which this ion interacts with the oral environment to cause a remarkable reduction in dental caries. The role of fluoride in the prevention of dental erosion is also elucidated. The complex mechanisms by which fluoride exerts its effects are described with clarity and the entire text is accompanied by particularly useful illustrations. As a clear up-to-date summary of current thinking in the field, this book will be essential reading for research workers and postgraduate students. Established researchers and teachers in both clinical and basic sciences will find it to be a valuable addition to their libraries, and clinicians will be able to better evaluate the current scientific evidence on the advantages as well as the hazards of fluoride in dentistry.

Since the first edition of this highly-acclaimed book appeared in 1989, a considerable amount of new information has been published on the diverse effects that fluoride can produce in biological systems. The remarkable decline in dental caries that is now occurring throughout the world can be largely attributed to the use of ingested and topical forms of fluoride. Indeed, fluoride is now widely regarded as the cornerstone of modern preventive dentistry. In addition to its prophylactic qualities, fluoride is currently being investigated for its benefits in the treatment of osteoporosis, ischemia, and other major diseases; in larger doses, however, fluoride is known to cause fluorosis, and in excessive amounts can even lead to death. This newly revised edition includes data from the most recent studies in these areas and provides an up-to-date, critical discussion of fluoride metabolism and toxicity as well as environmental and physiological variables that can affect these processes. It will be of particular interest to dental students and residents, dental educators and researchers, toxicologists, pharmacologists and physiologists.

When the U.S. Public Health Service endorsed water fluoridation in 1950, there was little evidence of its safety. Now, six decades later and after most countries have rejected the practice, more than 70 percent of Americans, as well as 200 million people worldwide, are drinking fluoridated water. The Center for Disease Control and the American Dental Association continue to promote it--and even mandatory statewide water fluoridation--despite increasing evidence that it is not only unnecessary, but potentially hazardous to human health. In this timely and important book, Dr. Paul Connett, Dr. James Beck, and Dr. H. Spedding Micklem take a new look at the science behind water fluoridation and argue that just because the dental and medical establishments endorse a public health measure doesn't mean it's safe. In the case of water fluoridation, the chemicals that go into the drinking water that more than 180 million people drink each day are not even pharmaceutical grade, but rather a hazardous waste product of the phosphate fertilizer industry. It is illegal to dump this waste into the sea or local surface water, and yet it is allowed in our drinking water. To make matters worse, this program receives no oversight from the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency takes no responsibility for the practice. And from an ethical standpoint, say the authors, water fluoridation is a bad medical practice: individuals are being forced to take medication without their informed consent, there is no control over the dose, and no monitoring of possible side effects. At once painstakingly documented and also highly readable, The Case Against Fluoride brings new research to light, including links between fluoride and harm to the brain, bones, and endocrine system, and argues that the evidence that fluoridation reduces tooth decay is surprisingly weak.