MAILBAG:

So now the Daily Pilot, with absolutely no credentials to do so, enters the controversy over the benefits, or lack thereof, of water fluoridation (“Trust the dentists, not web theories,” Oct. 28).

I suppose comments such as: “Fluoride. Do you think it’s dangerous? Isn’t that the stuff most of us squeeze onto a toothbrush every morning and before we go to bed? ... Won’t it help fight tooth decay? Of course it will. That’s just common sense” are to be expected from the liberal Daily Pilot where the idea prevails that the more government intervention into the lives of citizens, the better.

But “common sense?” No! If the editors at the Daily Pilot draw that conclusion from the fact that we brush our teeth with fluoride toothpaste, they are pitifully misinformed. Have the esteemed editors ever noticed the warning on every tube of fluoride toothpaste that ingestion should be avoided? “WARNING: Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help, or contact a poison control center right away.”

Are the editors aware fluoride toothpaste is not recommended for children younger than 3, or that the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have both issued warnings regarding the ingestion of fluoridated water by infants? No, I suspect not.

The editorial goes on to say, “We hardly think the dental association foundation has a secret agenda.” One of the purposes of the California Dental Association Foundation is to promote fluoridation of water, in order “to offer programs that ultimately benefit the underserved,” and that agenda is far from secret.

The editors continue, “If they’re (dentists) telling us to add fluoride to the water, then they know best.”

The California Dental Association Foundation does not represent dentists, and many dentists and other professionals do not agree that the best way to prevent dental decay is fluoridation of water. However, the vast majority do agree topical application of sodium fluoride is effective and safe if it is not ingested.

The fluoride dispensed via water is not the same as the fluoride found in toothpaste. Toothpaste contains a pharmaceutical-grade sodium fluoride. The substance introduced into public water supplies, hydrofluosilicic acid, the industrial waste product of the phosphate fertilizer industry, has never been approved by the FDA for the purpose of reducing tooth decay.

Surveys consistently indicate that dental decay has declined comparably between areas with and without fluoridated water. This is attributed to the use of fluoride toothpaste and better dental habits. On the other hand, fluoridation of water is the ideal solution for the phosphate industry’s fluoride waste disposal problem. It is far more cost effective, and manufacturers spend millions on grants and lobbying to promote it.

Research indicating that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay is from studies 50 years ago that do not pass muster today in terms of safety and effectiveness.

Fifty years ago, there was no substantial source of fluoride in the diet. Today, there is a long list of drink products, including apple and grape juice, published by the Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, that contain up to 6.8 parts per million fluoride ion. It is possible to exceed the safe ingestion of fluoride without any fluoride in the water at all.

Even so-called optimum levels of fluoride cause at least minimum dental fluorosis. Can we not presume there might also be skeletal fluorosis?

The irony and shame is that the Metropolitan Water District is under no mandate to add fluoride, as representative Edgar Dymally admitted before the Newport Beach City Council.

I have heard no cautionary statement from MWD that fluoridated water poses a risk for young children. Does the MWD’s statement that “the benefits far outweigh any risks” include the risks to young children?

I hope in the future the Daily Pilot will refrain from writing editorials regarding subjects about which it is so ill informed.

Ila Johnson

Costa Mesa