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Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Fluoride & Babies: DON'T MIX

Many government, health, dental and other groups now caution that routinely mixing infant formula with fluoridated water puts babies at risk of developing discolored teeth (dental fluorosis - white spotted, yellow, brown and/or pitted teeth) without any benefit of less tooth decay (See citations*). Parents also need to know that hidden fluoride in baby foods can cause fluorosis.

According to Dr. E. Angeles Martinez-Mier of the Indiana University School of Dentistry and a dental scientist who has worked more than 20 years on fluoride research, "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation of not using fluoride in baby formula was made because a study found that fluoride is not effective when the person has no teeth. She said she participated not only in that study but in four of the five CDC studies on fluoridation."(A


A CDC slogan is often used to promote fluoridation. However, the CDC wants you to know that It is not CDC’s task to determine what levels of fluoride in water are safe

In fact, carefully reading CDC reports reveals fluoride doubts. CDC writes: “Fluoride works primarily after teeth have erupted…”  and that ingested fluoride emerges from saliva to bathe teeth topically but that level is too low to prevent tooth decay, CDC says.


The CDC also admits that “The prevalence of dental caries in a population is not inversely related to the concentration of fluoride in enamel, and a higher concentration of enamel fluoride is not necessarily more efficacious in preventing dental caries.”

Preferably, fluoridation should be stopped because it has been proven a dismal failure

*Citations


Dr. Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Health, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a video commentary published on Medscape.com, March 8, 2011 says “…tooth enamel formation occurs from birth until about 8 years old. This is also the time when dental fluorosis may occur with excess fluoride consumption.”

Koh says, "if the child is exclusively consuming infant formula reconstituted with fluoridated water, there is an increased potential for mild dental fluorosis."

Reference: Government Perspectives on Healthcare;HHS: Proposed Guidelines on Fluoride in Drinking Water,A Commentary By Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/738322



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From the US Centers for Disease Control

if your child is only consuming infant formula mixed with fluoridated water, there may be an increased chance for mild dental fluorosis. To lessen this chance, parents can use low-fluoride bottled water some of the time to mix infant formula; these bottled waters are labeled as de-ionized, purified, demineralized, or distilled, and without any fluoride added after purification treatment. 

 https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/faqs/infant-formula.html

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Academy of General Dentistry

“If you add fluoridated water to your infant's baby formula, you may be putting your child at risk of developing dental fluorosis...”

http://www.qualitydentistry.com/library/agd/fluoride.html
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Mayo Clinic 


“Regularly mixing a baby's formula with fluoridated tap water can provide enough fluoride to cause fluorosis — mild white streaks on the teeth or more severe pitting or staining of tooth enamel. Fluorosis can affect both baby teeth and permanent teeth.” 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/infant-formula/MY00193/NSECTIONGROUP=2 

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Vermont Department of Health

“The Vermont Department of Health recommends mixing powdered or concentrated baby formula with water that is fluoride-free, or contains very low levels of fluoride, for feeding infants under 12 months of age. Recent studies have discovered the possibility that infants in this age group may be consuming more fluoride than necessary.” 

https://fluoridealert.org/articles/vermont_warning/

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New York State Department of Health


Parents who are concerned about the risk of enamel fluorosis, can mix liquid concentrate or powdered infant formula with water that is fluoride free or contains low levels of fluoride. Examples are water that is labeled purified, demineralized, deionized, distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water.

http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/dental/fluoride_guidance_during_infancy.htm

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California Dental Association

"...mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with
fluoridated water on a regular basis for infants primarily fed in this
way may increase the chance of a child’s developing enamel fluorosis,"
according to the CDA's Feb 2010 Report, Oral Health During Pregnancy
and Early Childhood: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Health
Professionals. https://www.cdafoundation.org/Portals/0/pdfs/poh_guidelines.pdf
(Page 12)

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National Research Council In March 2006, the National Research Council (NRC) cautioned that infants can fluoride-overdose via reconstituted baby formula. The American Dental Association (ADA) passed this information on to its members in a November 2006 e-gram

http://www.fluoridealert.org/wp-content/uploads/ada.egram-2006.pdf
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Delta Dental 


If parents and caregivers are concerned about the potential for increasing a child’s risk of developing enamel fluorosis, breast feeding, ready-to-feed formula or powdered or liquid concentrate formula reconstituted with water that either is fluoride free or contains low concentrations of fluoride are an alternative. This type of water is often labeled “purified,” “demineralized,” “deionized,” “distilled” or “produced through reverse-osmosis.” 

https://www.deltadental.com/us/en/protect-my-smile/life-stages/oral-care-for-infants---toddlers/fluoride-in-infant-formulas.html

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Minnesota Dental Association 


If liquid concentrate or powdered infant formula is the primary source of nutrition, it can be mixed with water that is fluoride free, or contains low levels of fluoride to reduce the risk of fluorosis. Examples are water that is labeled purified, demineralized, deionized, distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water. Many grocery stores sell these types of drinking water for less than $1 per gallon.         

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/57490.php

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Maryland Government Agency 

Regularly mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water may increase your child's risk of developing faint white markings or streaks on the teeth -- a sign of mild enamel fluorosis.If you're concerned about fluorosis, you can minimize your baby's exposure to fluoride by using ready-to-feed formula. You can also alternate using tap water and nonfluoridated water for formula preparation, or mix powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with low-fluoride water most or all of the time. CDC also recommends that parents can use low-fluoride bottled water some of the time to mix infant formula; these bottled waters are labeled as de-ionized, purified, demineralized, or distilled.

https://web.archive.org/web/20160122013052/http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/oralhealth/SitePages/community-water.aspx

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Chester Water Authority (Chester, Pennsylvania)


"The ADA and the CDC recommend the following for the parents of infants: Parents should consider preparing powdered or liquid concentrate infant formulas using water that contains no or low levels of fluoride"

http://www.chesterwater.com/waterquality/CCR2013.pdf

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American Public Health Association: Policy Statement Database 

Recent evidence suggests that mixing powdered or liquid infant formula concentrate with fluoridated water on a regular basis for infants primarily fed in this way may increase the chance of a child’s developing the faint white markings of very mild or mild enamel fluorosis. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20110312063358/http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1373

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Des Moines Water Works 

Powdered or liquid concentrate infant formula can be mixed with water that is fluoride free or contains low levels of fluoride. These types of water are labeled as purified, demineralized, deionized, distilled or reverse osmosis filtered water http://www.dmww.com/upl/documents/water-quality/lab-reports/fact-sheets/fluoride.pdf 

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Broomfield, Colorado 

The American Dental Association has recommended that for infants being fed primarily reconstituted infant formula, a fluoride-free water source such as demineralized or distilled water be used to reduce fluoride intake. 

http://www.broomfield.org/documentcenter/view/2378

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Ormond Beach, Florida puts infant warning advisory on Annual Water Quality Report

http://www.ormondbeach.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2961


Dental Associations Advise Against Fluoride in Baby Formula

Although the American Dental Association and the Florida Dental Association both endorse fluoridated water as an effective way to prevent tooth decay, they have issued an advisory recommending that non-fluoridated bottled water be used in powdered or liquid-concentrate baby formula for infants.The advisories note that too much fluoride can cause fluorosis, resulting in a discoloration or streaks on teeth.

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The
Colgate Oral Health Report, “Potential Fluorosis from
Fluoride Intake During Infancy and Early Childhood” Volume 21, Number 2, 2011 


https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/26282764/print-version-colgate-professional

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Journal of the American Dental Association 

"Ingestion of fluoride during critical periods of tooth development may result in a range of visually detectable changes in enamel opacity that are termed 'enamel fluorosis,'” 

https://phpa.health.maryland.gov/oralhealth/docs1/JADA.pdf



Reference:

A) "Experts testify in favor of water fluoridation in Valparaiso,"
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/porter/28190263-418/experts-testify-in-favor-of-water-fluoridation-in-valparaiso.html#.U6QT6_ldW2E