Federal Officials Lower Fluoride Recommendations for Drink Water

For the first time in 50 years, the U.S. government is recommending municipalities across the nation to lower the current levels of fluoride in their water.

The U.S. Public Health Service, overseen by the surgeon general, recommends lowering the amount of fluoride added to drinking water, due to the fact that many people are getting too much fluoride through their toothpaste and other products.

One study found about 2 out of 5 adolescents have tooth streaking or spottiness from too much fluoride.

Fluoride is a mineral in water and soil. The government first began urging cities to add fluoride to drinking water in 1962. Around 70 years ago, scientists discovered that people whose drinking water naturally had more fluoride also had fewer cavities.

Today, about 75 percent of Americans get fluoridated water. Federal health officials say the new recommended level will maintain the protective benefits of water fluoridation and reduce the occurrence of dental fluorosis.

"While additional sources of fluoride are more widely used than they were in 1962, the need for community water fluoridation still continues," said U.S. Deputy Surgeon General Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak. "Community water fluoridation continues to reduce tooth decay in children and adults beyond that provided by using only toothpaste and other fluoride-containing products."

"The public should not take this news as a recommendation to avoid fluoridated water," Dr. Gretchen Henson, a pediatric dentist in New York City, told HealthDay News. "Fluoride in the right amount is very important for dental health. We see significantly more cavities among children who only drink bottled water or live in areas where water is not fluoridated."

"The need for community water fluoridation still continues," Rear Admiral Boris Lushniak, the deputy surgeon general said in a statement released Monday.