Can fluoride compromise the development of the brain and lead to a decrease in the IQ of children?
For more than seven decades, there have been claims that fluoride added to our water can reduce dental decay and is safe. However, despite these assertions, there is ample evidence indicating that water fluoridation poses potential health risks. Nevertheless, proponents of fluoridation have had a significant advantage due to their access to far greater funding than that available to sceptics.
Trials of fluoridation began in 1945 in the United States and Canada, but no comprehensive health studies were conducted before it was endorsed as safe and effective by the United States Public Health Service. The American Dental and Medical Associations soon added their approval, followed by their counterparts in Australia and the United Kingdom (Akers & Porter, 2004; Ripa, 1993).
In 1957 the original trials were examined by Dr. Philip Sutton in Australia who graduated with honours in Dental Science from Melbourne University, later completing his Doctor of Dental Science, the highest dental research degree available. His post-graduate studies also included research in physiology, biochemistry, and statistics for research workers. After examining the original trials, he found they were of low quality, and full of errors and omissions (Sutton, 1959, 1995).
Over the years many concerns about how fluoride exposure affects the brain have been raised. In a recent systematic review by Veneri et al., (2023), the authors researched the link between the amount of fluoride exposure and children's intelligence. The researchers looked at 33 studies and found that children who had higher exposure to fluoride had lower IQ scores than those with lower exposure. The decrease in IQ was particularly noticeable when the water had fluoride levels above 1mg/L, with a stronger effect seen above 2mg/L. The decrease in IQ was weaker but still present when looking at levels of fluoride in urine.
Overall, the majority of studies suggested an adverse effect of fluoride exposure on children's IQ, starting at low levels of exposure. However, it is important to note that some of the studies had potential biases that could have affected the results. More research should be done to conclusively assess the relationship between fluoride exposure and brain development in children (Veneri et al., 2023).
Considering the outcome of this recent research and given water fluoridation’s controversial research origins, pregnant women and children should take precautions to prevent over exposure to fluoride, eliminating the risk of potential neurotoxicity (Akers & Porter, 2004; Sutton, 1959, 1995; Veneri et al., 2023).
References:
Akers, H. F., & Porter, S. A. T. (2004). WATER FLUORIDATION: THE ENGINEERS’ CONTRIBUTION. Water, 53–56. https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_8724/Water_September_.pdf?Expires=1682861242&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJKNBJ4MJBJNC6NLQ&Signature=G7sFQtbHIcNakHt1cBSoWpy4hAfDeC~1ZytIoojTFQFXQAjhhYVdDpmtRiHHusaTi1ludtlW1Ea4XDjtLoJ3cURKkvtzgpe4qHEnyaV03Eg4ax0e3nL5W2hS0LZkj9RB8YNYGz8ZAYLfS3SJWC2GbHF3f1blaK6obe01ffNZiXyxzxGAU~QmeIJAXCZhN3EiaYRygGO8HCjlz0HWoxcioSrObFQ71HCro3sSlZtJbTrerz9wIm~y3R24-LRiL5aVmgdMwRZvexnbKb-e4FH5qnlJOnptJWH8TcGE8n2c1NkJoZzyTLNu6farXR7F7GER0dslNcRqjly8I8Ihr5MhPQ__
Ripa, L. W. (1993). A Half-century of Community Water Fluoridation in the United States: Review and Commentary. Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 53(1), 17–44. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1752-7325.1993.TB02666.X
Sutton, P. R. N. (1959). Fluoridation : errors and omissions in experimental trials. Melbourne University Press (estab. 1922). https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2546483
Sutton, P. R. N. (1995). IN MEMORIAM. 28(3), 123.
Veneri, F., Vinceti, M., Generali, L., Giannone, M. E., Mazzoleni, E., Birnbaum, L. S., Consolo, U., & Filippini, T. (2023). Fluoride exposure and cognitive neurodevelopment: Systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Environmental Research, 221, 115239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.115239