Substantial consumption of fluoride increases chance of mild fluorosis
Researchers continue to recommend benefits of fluoride to prevent tooth decay
2010-10-26
(Press-News.org) CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2010 – Young children who consume substantial amounts of fluoride through infant formula and other beverages mixed with fluoridated water or by swallowing fluoride toothpaste have an increased chance of developing mild enamel fluorosis, according to research published in the October issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association and supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Children can continue using fluoridated water and fluoride toothpaste because fluoride has been proven to prevent tooth decay, and mild fluorosis does not negatively affect dental health or quality of life.
"Nearly all of the fluorosis in our study participants was mild. A recent review of the effects of mild dental fluorosis on oral health–related quality of life concluded that the effect of mild fluorosis was not adverse and could even be favorable," according to the study. "This suggests that concerns about mild dental fluorosis may be exaggerated. Therefore, no general recommendations to avoid use of fluoridated water in reconstituting infant formula are warranted. "
According to the American Dental Association, mild enamel fluorosis appears as barely noticeable faint white lines or streaks on tooth enamel that may occur when children ingest excess fluoride while their teeth are developing.
Researchers concluded that substantial fluoride consumption from beverages with fluoridated water, including infant formula, by children between the ages of 3 to 9 months, elevates a child's prospect of developing mild enamel fluorosis. Substantial fluoride consumption from beverages with fluoridated water and from fluoride toothpaste by children between the ages of 16 to 36 months also elevates a child's probability of developing mild enamel fluorosis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for infants. If parents are concerned about reducing the chances of their infants developing mild fluorosis through consuming substantial amounts of infant formula mixed with fluoridated water, the researchers suggest that they consult with their family dentist or physician. The researchers also encourage parents to follow recommendations to use small (smear or pea-sized) amounts of fluoridated toothpaste and ensure proper supervision of the child's tooth brushing.
Researchers recruited mothers of newborn infants from eight Iowa hospital postpartum wards between 1992 and 1995 for their children's participation in what would become known as the Iowa Fluoride Study, an investigation of dietary and non-dietary fluoride exposures, dental fluorosis and dental cavities. Researchers sent questionnaires to the parents at regular intervals and 630 children underwent visual dental examinations using standardized techniques and portable equipment. The leader of the research team was Steven M. Levy, D.D.S., M.P.H., the Wright-Bush-Shreves Endowed Professor of Research in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry at the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry and Professor of Epidemiology at the College of Public Health.
INFORMATION:
Note: Although this study appears in The Journal of the American Dental Association, it does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the American Dental Association.
About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 157,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2010-10-26
While most commonly associated with mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to many diseases that affect people long after the initial infection takes place, including some forms of cancer. In the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists at The Wistar Institute describe how viral microRNA – small segments of RNA that suppress the effects of gene activity – allows EBV to hide within cells and evade the immune system. The scientists believe their findings may one day enable physicians to flush EBV out of hiding, allowing a healthy immune ...
2010-10-26
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Researchers at MIT have revealed exactly how a molecule called fulvalene diruthenium, which was discovered in 1996, works to store and release heat on demand. This understanding, reported in a paper published on Oct. 20 in the journal Angewandte Chemie, should make it possible to find similar chemicals based on more abundant, less expensive materials than ruthenium, and this could form the basis of a rechargeable battery to store heat rather than electricity.
The molecule undergoes a structural transformation when it absorbs sunlight, putting it into ...
2010-10-26
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Pathogenic listeria tricks intestinal cells into helping it pass through those cells to make people ill, and, if that doesn't work, the bacteria simply goes around the cells, according to a Purdue University study.
Arun Bhunia, a professor of food science, and Kristin Burkholder, a former Purdue graduate student who is now a postdoctoral researcher in microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School, found that listeria, even in low doses, somehow triggers intestinal cells to express a new protein, heat shock protein 60, ...
2010-10-26
An international team of researchers based at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, including a physical anthropology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has discovered well-dated human fossils in southern China that markedly change anthropologists perceptions of the emergence of modern humans in the eastern Old World.
The research was published Oct. 25 in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discovery of early modern human fossil remains in the Zhirendong (Zhiren Cave) ...
2010-10-26
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas.
But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns.
The research will be presented at the annual meeting of ...
2010-10-26
Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.
When these infections are left untreated, complications can include hearing loss, speech problems and more severe infections that can spread to bone and brain, causing meningitis. But not all kids have the same access to medical specialists and medicines.
A new study by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Harvard Medical School has ...
2010-10-26
Knowledge gaps and fear — some of it unjustified — are common among the caregivers of children with a drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA, according to the results of a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children Center. These caregivers thirst for timely, detailed and simple information, the researchers add.
The study's findings, published online in The Journal of Pediatrics, underscore the need for healthcare staff to do a better job in educating parents, while also addressing concerns and allaying fears, the investigators say.
"What these results really ...
2010-10-26
Madison, WI, October 25, 2010 – A case study published in the 2010 Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education by professors at Washington State University studies the challenges one organization faced in maintaining an urban market garden. The journal is published by the American Society of Agronomy.
Since 1995, Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW) has employed young homeless individuals or those involved in the juvenile justice system. SYGW offers teens and young adults the opportunity to work, develop social skills, and eventually find stable employment or ...
2010-10-26
Montreal – Researchers in Newfoundland have cracked the genetic code of a sudden death cardiac killer.
As a result, they have developed a unique prevention program in which people with no symptoms, but with a suspect gene and a family history, are being implanted with internal cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) which can restart their hearts if they stop.
"Our discovery has led to a targeted genetic screening and individualized therapy that is significantly improving survival rates," Dr. Sean Connors told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart ...
2010-10-26
"Sleep disorders in kids are on the increase. They are marching hand in hand with other increasing cardiovascular risk factors such as overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, a poor diet, and high levels of unhealthy cholesterol," Dr. McCrindle today told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.
"Teens who experience more disordered sleep − in terms of duration, quality, and pattern − have a higher body mass index and a correspondingly higher risk of overweight ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Substantial consumption of fluoride increases chance of mild fluorosis
Researchers continue to recommend benefits of fluoride to prevent tooth decay