Fluoride in toothpaste Does it make you sick?

Fluoride is harmful to health only if it is heavily overdosed

02/10/2014

„Fluoride could make you sick“ - Again and again bad news haunts like this through the media. Insecure consumers are wondering if even the fluoride in the toothpaste is harmful to health. According to current knowledge, however, no one has anything to fear, as long as the trace element is not overdosed over a long period of time.

Positive effect of fluoride evidenced
Fluoride is included in almost every toothpaste as it protects against tooth decay and keeps teeth white. In addition to these positive properties, fluoride is also said to have a lot of negative aspects. It is harmful to health and poison the body, it is often said these days in social networks and newsrooms. Behind this, however, is a fear that is mostly unfounded.

The use of fluoride goes back to observations made before the 1970s. At that time, drinking water was virtually the only source of fluoride. It turned out that people living in areas where fluoride was naturally present in drinking water had fewer caries than other people. In addition, they had white spots on their teeth. Some countries, such as the USA, Australia and the United Kingdom, artificially enriched their drinking water with the trace element. However, compulsory medication did not prevail in Germany. Instead, certain products such as tablets, toothpaste or salt were added to fluoride.

In the meantime numerous scientific studies prove the positive effect of the trace element. „Those who clean their teeth today with a good toothpaste containing fluoride can prevent around 40 percent of the caries cases from fluoride alone, "explains Stefan Zimmer, Head of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Preventive Dentistry at the University of Witten Herdecke, to the magazine „Mirror online“. „The fluoride is even more effective than brushing itself. "Fluoride protects the enamel by depositing itself into its lattice and encouraging the incorporation of minerals, protecting against harmful acids so that they do not penetrate the enamel. „The benefits are examined at the highest scientific level. "Zimmer also believes that Stiftung Warentest is convinced of the positive effect of fluoride so that toothpastes without the trace element fail in their tests.

Control daily intake of fluoride
Despite the positive effect of fluoride on enamel, daily fluoride intake should be controlled. The example of a Briton shows that the dose is crucial. The 47-year-old woman had drunk several pots of her favorite drink, black tea, for 17 years a day. In the preparation, she used 100 to 150 teabags per pot to make the tea very strong. After all, the Briton had to go to the hospital because her teeth were eaten and her bones were attacked. As it turned out, the fluoride contained in black tea was the cause of the discomfort due to excessive consumption.

This case is certainly extreme and will be one of the exceptions in this form, nevertheless, the example illustrates that the trace element can actually be harmful to health if it is congested heavily overdosed. The European Food Authority (Efsa) advises to take daily 0.05 milligrams of fluoride per kilogram of body weight. The recommendation applies regardless of age. „Exact supply data for fluoride are not available in Germany, but it can be assumed that this amount is normally not reached, "informs the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) on request of the magazine. „In this respect, there is no reason to worry about the total intake of fluoride ".

White spots on the teeth due to fluoride are harmless
However, when it comes to overdose of fluoride in children, it is reflected in so-called fluorosis. These are white spots or streaks on the teeth, which arise because the trace element is also incorporated into the tooth enamel via the bloodstream during the formation of the teeth. Children up to six years should therefore use a fluoride-reduced toothpaste, experts advise. But even fluorosis is not a cause for concern but merely a cosmetic problem. For serious damage to teeth and bones, it comes only when the body for at least ten years, 10 to 25 milligrams of the trace element are fed daily, writes the magazine. Such amounts usually can not be achieved with toothpaste. In Germany, the proportion of fluoride in toothpastes is a maximum of 0.15 percent for adults and for children's toothpaste at most 0.05 percent. „With proper use (ie brushing the teeth and then spitting out, not eating the contents of toothpaste tubes in large quantities) poisoning with toothpaste is not possible due to the small amount of fluoride ", also informs the BfR.