The fluoride question
Health Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), and the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) all agree that a fluoridated water supply is the most effective, cost-efficient means of preventing dental caries. The CPS recommends that children be given fluoride supplements if they live in an area where there is little or no fluoride in the water supply.
If you're unsure whether your tap water is fluoridated, contact your municipal office. The level of fluoride will be identified in parts per million (pip). Bottled water generally has very low fluoride content.
If you use bottled water, read the labels. Also take into account the proportion of tap water to bottled water that your child uses. The chart below shows the CPS's recommended dosages.
Canadian Paediatric Society Fluoride Guide for Children Ages 6-16
Fluoride Concentration in principal source of
drinking water
• Intake of less than 0.3 ppm requires 1.0 mg/day of fluoride supplement.
• Intake of 0.3-.06 ppm requires 0.5 mg/day of fluoride supplement.
• Intake of more than 0.6 ppm requires no fluoride supplment.
In contrast, dentists through the CDA recommend fluoride supplements for children aged six to thirteen only when the fluoride in the water supply is less than 0.3 ppm. For them, it recommends 1.0 mg a day, as does the cps. But the CDA is wary of recommending fluoride supplements when the fluoride concentration in drinking water is at the higher levels. Too much fluoride causes dental fluorosis, which in its mildest form causes white flecking on the teeth. In its severest form, fluorosis causes pitting and brown staining of the teeth. The CDA believes that children may be getting more fluoridated water from other sources than home, such as at school or in bottled water. The CPS recommends that teens continue to limit the amount of toothpaste with fluoride per brushing to the size of a pea; that they spit it out, not swallow it; and that they rinse thoroughly after brushing.
The fluoride supplements are available in drops, chewable tablets, and lozenges. Chewable tablets or lozenges are recommended because the primary action of fluoride is topical. Regular dental checkups usually include a fluoride application to the teeth after a cleaning by the dental hygienist. Be sure to keep fluoride supplements in a locked cabinet away from younger children, because swallowing 230 to 500 mg of fluoride can be fatal.
Excerpted from Understanding Your Teen: Ages 13 to 19 by Christine Langlois. Copyright 1999 by Telemedia Communications Inc. Excerpted, with permission by Ballantine Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
