Fluoride risk for bottle-fed infants
The American Dental Association (AMA) issued a health warning to parents last year, not to use fluoridated water when making up concentrated infant formula due to an increased risk of dental fluorosis. This warning came after the National Research Council of the National Academies released the report, Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Standard.
Authorities in Australia and New Zealand issued no such warning because differing circumstances mean that the risk of over fluoridation is lower than in the United States. Professor Ian Myers, Chair of General Practice Dentistry, University of Queensland, explains that fluoride is currently not used in the manufacturing of infant formula, so there is no doubling up of fluoride or associated risks.
The doubling up effect of fluoride is a result of using fluoridated water in the manufacturing process, and then using fluoridated water to make up the formula. Some infant formula manufacturers in the United States use fluoridated water in the manufacturing process, potentially exposing infants to double the recommended fluoride levels.
The warning by the AMA specifically relates to instances when an infant’s primary source of nutrition comes from infant formula. Interim guidelines from the AMA advises parents, living in the United States, to mix powdered or liquid concentrate infant formula with fluoride free or low-level fluoride bottled water.
Australian guidelines from the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, states that, infant formula nowadays is safe for consumption by infants when reconstituted using fluoridated or nonfluoridated water’.
Not everybody agrees that mixing formula with fluoridated water is safe. Dr Paul Connett, Professor of Chemistry, St. Lawrence University NY, says that nature knows best. Breast milk contains minimal levels of natural fluoride, at 0.008 ppm. Bottle fed babies may be getting one hundred times the levels of fluoride nature intended. Dr. Connett believes that nature knows best when it comes to acceptable levels of fluoride for new-borns.
The fluoride debate is complex and divisive. Parents providing their children infant formula as the main nutritional source may like to investigate the issue further. Check with your local council to find out if the water supply is fluoridated and to what levels. Seek a variety of professional opinions, so that you can make the best choice for your child.
References Available
DENTAL FLUOROSIS
• Dental fluorosis refers to the effects of fluoride on dental enamel.
• It occurs during the formation of the tooth, when enamel is growing.
• The front teeth appear to be the most sensitive before 3 years of age.
• Dental fluorosis is cosmetically unattractive, causing yellow or brown mottling and pitting of the teeth.
• Severe dental fluorosis may occur, especially in infants and children under eight, if exposed to excessive levels of fluoride.
• In severe cases, tooth enamel may crack and be stripped away, exposing teeth to decay.
• Teeth could also become dysfunctional, according to Bob Canton, anti-fluoride advocate and former scientist for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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