Health Ministry Finds that Fluoridation Does Not Reduce Tooth Decay

Dental Health Magazine
May. 04, 2010

Statistics from a study conducted by the New Zealand Ministry of Health suggest that there are no advantages derived from fluoridation. These statistics actually match similar arguments set forth by the American Dental Association.

The latter organization conducted a large study on some 39000 American children and found that they did not derive any advantages from the use of fluoride.

The process of fluoridation is the practice of adding fluoride minerals to a water source so that people can get exposed to the mineral through drinking water. Some bodies of water already have fluoride in them and do not need fluoride added.

The fluoride is allegedly added so that it can help in the prevention of cavity development. The practice of adding fluoride to water is suppose to allow many people, regardless of income, to receive healthy doses of fluoride. Yet, recent studies are revealing that the fluoridation practices do little in terms of cavity prevention, if anything at all.

The study conducted in New Zealand by the Ministry of Health reveals that children living in areas with no fluoride have one percent fewer cavities than those children that reside in regions where fluoridation is offered. Nevertheless, the Health Ministry still asserts that some thirty percent of children will gain some advantages from regular fluoridation.

While the assertion may seem somewhat paradoxical, the statistics offered by the organization mix low and high socioeconomic towns and cities to supply a figure to represent the nation. This mixing of statistics results in a rather poor representation of what is really going on.

Some researchers argue that the statistics would reveal that both groups of tested children would benefit from fluoridation if fluoridation had advantages.

In truth, the statistics are actually revealing that children are simply not benefiting from the use of fluoridation. The bottom line is that the Ministry of Health is trying to make the use of fluoridation sound more promising.

Some researchers suggest that the Ministry is acting against at least fifty years of studies that indicate fluoridation does not provide an adequate defense against cavities.