Most of us put our trust and faith in fluoride to help prevent tooth decay. It is a common ingredient in toothpaste and mouthwashes, and several countries, including parts of the UK, even add fluoride to the water supply. Even last month, a study was published which reported that adding fluoride to table salt had reduced dental decay in Jamaica. However, not all scientists are as enthusiastic about fluoride as you might imagine. Quite recent evidence suggests that fluoride is not as effective in preventing tooth decay (also known as dental caries) as was originally thought. In fact, it is now that fluoride treatment has the capacity to cause dental disease. There is also some evidence that fluoride may increase the risk of other health issues including weakened bones and thyroid disease. So, is fluoride really effective in preventing tooth decay, or could it be doing us more harm than good?

Fluoride is a by-product of certain manufacturing practises (primarily the phosphate fertiliser industry). Precisely what lay behind the decision to add it to water supplies is not clear. Fluoride is, after all, a potentially toxic waste product. Also, when fluoridation of water started some 60 years ago, there was no good evidence to suggest that fluoride might prevent tooth decay. However, partly as a result of later studies which suggested that fluoride might have some tooth-protecting qualities, fluoridation of water became accepted practice in several countries around the World. However, it is now recognised that the initial studies on fluoride and tooth decay were of poor quality from a scientific standpoint. More recently, the UK Government commissioned a review of the scientific literature on fluoride and dental caries. The results of this review, commonly referred to as the

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