Psychological Textbook Review - The Developing Person Through the Life Span

Chapter 11 – Oral Hygiene & Fluoride In our textbook, oral hygiene is shown to have improved, due to the better medical improvements and positive health habits of children and families.  It was shown that “sixty years ago, many children neither brushed their teeth nor saw a dentist, and fluoride was almost never added to water (pg. 297)…that’s why many elderly people have lost their teeth.” The author then goes on to examine the benefits children and adults gain with the practice of good oral hygiene and visiting the dentist.    

I found this topic interesting because many new studies have challenged the efficacy of water fluoridation and its purported health benefits. In a recent, July 2012, a peer-reviewed Harvard University study, scientists concluded that there may be a correlation between fluoride exposure and a decrease in IQ. In their research, scientists stated that their data “supported the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment.” Moreover, the Environmental Protection Agency – an agency tasked with the protection of people and the environment, reclassified fluoride as a substance with “substantial evidence of neurotoxicity.” Another concern I found with improved medical care was the claim that because elderly people have lost their teeth this must be from fluoride. However, hasn’t the life expectancy of the elderly increased, in absolute terms since the 1950’s?

This information illustrates that with improvements in medical care; there can also be possibly unforeseen side-effects.    In my own life, I tend to select natural alternatives to popular toothpastes that contain fluoride. Although this concern may be overstated, I use toothpaste that contains natural sweeteners such as Xylitol. Xylitol removes dental plaque, fights cavities, and is a naturally occurring sugar that is produced by the human body. In short, I think that considerable research needs to be done to better identify what health modifications actually produced good health for middle childhood and all ages.  See: http://www.epa.gov/ncct/toxcast/files/summit/48P%20Mundy%20TDAS.pdf).