Is it true that toothpastes with fluorine are dangerous for health?

For many years it was believed that fluoride in the means of brushing teeth protects from caries, but in recent years the opinion that it is harmful sounds louder. We decided to check if this is true.

When eating food or drinks, a coat forms on our teeth. Harmful microorganisms live in it, creating an acidic environment in the oral cavity that destroys the enamel of the teeth, which ultimately can lead to caries. Since we cannot constantly clean this raid during the day, we need to strengthen tooth enamel. And the most effective means For this, just fluorine.

Over the past hundred years, dozens of studies have been conducted aimed at clarifying the effect of toothpasts with the content of fluoride on the health of the teeth. Scientists of the authoritative medical portal - the Kokrain library - studied and systematized the results of 96 studies conducted from 1955 to 2014. They came to conclusionthat the fluorine in the composition of the hygiene of the oral cavity really helps to protect the teeth from caries, and both milk and permanent. Research was conducted on tens of thousands of children and adults, and scientists consider these evidence quite reliable.

Recommended dentists The concentration of fluorine in the paste is from 1350 to 1,500 million shares (PPM), manufacturers usually write about this on the package. For children under three years of age, you can use funds with a lower concentration, but minimum An effective dose is 1000 PPM.

At the same time, an excess of fluorine Maybe bring to Fluorosis. These are white stripes or spots on the enamel of the teeth. Fluorosis does not harm health and does not lead to caries, but the color of the dental enamel with it will be heterogeneous and this may not look very aesthetic. It is impossible to remove it without bleaching of the teeth. It develops, while the teeth are formed and erupted through gums. As soon as the tooth got out, fluorosis no longer threatens him. Therefore, the excess of concentrations of the used fluorine is dangerous only for children and adolescents who have not yet grown all molars.

Fluorine is a really poisonous element, it is included in some compounds that are used as insecticides And poisons For rodents. However, this does not prove that fluoride and fluorides in toothpaste are dangerous to health - it all depends on the concentration and reaction with other substances. As for the suspicions of some Internet users that fluoride in toothpaste can cause cancer, then scientists We spent a lot research And they did not reveal any relationship.

Nevertheless and overdose Fittor in hygiene products can lead to poisoning. But in order for this to happen, you need to eat toothpaste in an amount of 3-5 g per kilogram of weight. That is, to seriously poison, child Weighing 10 kg should eat as much as 30-50 g of toothpaste with fluorine. By accident, during the brushing of the teeth, such an amount can simply not get to a person in his mouth (not to mention swallowing). Therefore, to prevent this, you just need to store pastes - with or without fluorine - in an inaccessible place for young children.

There is an opinion that fluorine in hygiene means negatively affects the mental abilities of children, but authoritative scientists Also, they could not find any confirmation.

Maximum Safe The amount of fluorine consumed for an adult is 10 mg per day. This is much more than what is contained in the toothpaste, but it must be borne in mind that there is fluorine in many other products - and even in tap water.

In some countries, fluorine is specially added to the water supply - just in order to prevent caries in the population. Such idea At the beginning of the last century, she was born from a study by the American dentist Frederick Mcake, who studied fluorosis and noticed that caries on the spotted from an excess of fluorine teeth occurs less often and develops more slowly. Soon, other scientists picked up this idea, and already in 1945 the city of Grand Rapids in the American state of Michigan First He began to fluorine tap water. Water fluoridation Name One of the greatest scientific achievements of the 20th century, since it is a highly effective, economically profitable and safe measure to maintain the health of teeth and oral cavity.

Is it really safe? Scientists They thinkWhat yes. At the same time, it will still not be superfluous to check what the content of fluorine in tap water in your region. Norm - no more than 0.7 mg/l, and the maximum permissible concentration approved WHO and fixed in Russian SanPin - 1.5 mg/l. If you have it higher (and the concentration of fluoro in water can vary from the region to the region for natural reasons), you can do with a toothpaste without fluorine, replacing it with those that contain calcium, which also strengthens the enamel.

Thus, the use of products for oral oral hygiene with fluorine really reduces the risk of caries and strengthens the teeth. Moreover, there is no convincing evidence or research that fluorine in the concentrations and compounds in which it is contained in pastes can harm health. Poftor in toothpastes and rinsers for the mouth can be poisoned, but for this you need to use them in quantities ten times higher than normal. The use of such pastes can do harm only to children who have not yet grown molars, since an excess of fluorine can cause fluorosis - an enamel cosmetic defect.

Since the myth of the danger of fluorine is widespread not only in Russia, our foreign colleaguesFACECHERS Also already him refuted.

Most of the untruth

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Is it true that the dental thread helps to prevent caries and gum disease?
2. Is it true that sugar is addictive?
3. The Story of Fluoridation