Is salt fluoridation effective against caries?

FAQ on Salt Fluoridation
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Is salt fluoridation effective against caries?

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Is salt fluoridation effective against caries?

It is claimed that salt fluoridation has been hugely successful (PAHO, 1996) in the prevention of caries and some truly outrageous claims are made.

Regarding Jamaica - the most-commonly cited example of "success" - it has been claimed that after ten years of salt fluoridation, the number of decayed teeth per child at age 12 fell from 6 in 1984 to 1.1 in 1995 (Marthaler, 2000).

However, no properly conducted study exists which can clearly show that it was fluoridated salt which was responsible for the caries reduction, and recently renewed calls have been made to re-examine the effectiveness of salt fluoridation in Jamaica more closely (Meyer-Lueckel et al, 2002).

A a matter of fact, no study can show that ANY fluoride measure has been successful in the prevention of caries. This is also discussed extensively in PFPC Newsletter #8.

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PFPC Fluoridated Salt FAQ - © 2004 PFPC

REFERENCES:

Clarkson JJ, McLoughlin N - “Role of fluoride in oral health promotion” International Dental Journal 50:119-128 (2000)

EAPD (European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry) - “Guidelines on the use of fluoride in children: an EAPD policy document” (2000)

Estupinan-Day SR, Baez R, Horowitz H, Warpeha R, Sutherland B, Thamer M - "Salt fluoridation and dental caries in Jamaica" Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 29(4):247-52 (2001)

Fabien V, Obry-Musset AM, Hedelin G, Cahen PM - "Caries prevalence and salt fluoridation among 9-year-old schoolchildren in Strasbourg, France" Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 24(6):408-11 (1996)

Hernandez LP - “Prevention of dental caries through salt fluoridation in Mexico” CEDROS Newsletter Year II, N.3 (1993)

Hescot P - “Fluoridated Salt: A Measure Of Public Health In France” CEDROS Newsletter Year I, N.1 (1992)

ICCIDD - Switzerland Data

k+s Report 2000 (in German)

Kunzel W - "Systemic use of fluoride - other methods: salt, sugar, milk etc." Caries Research 27 (suppl.1):16-22 (1993)

Macpherson LM, Stephen KW - "The effect on human salivary fluoride concentration of consuming fluoridated salt-containing baked food items" Arch Oral Biol 46(10):983-8 (2001) Link

Marthaler TM- "Salt fluoridation: effectiveness against dental caries and practical results in Latin America and Europe" (2001)

Marthaler TM - “Salt fluoridation in Europe, comparisons with Latin America” 8th World Salt Symposium (2000); Volume 2: 1021-1026 (2000)

Marthaler (in German)
Under the heading: Zur Toxizität der Fluoride - derzeitiger Stand der Erkenntnis

Meyer-Lueckel H, Satzinger T, Kielbassa AM - “Caries prevalence among 6- to 16-year-old students in Jamaica 12 years after the Introduction of salt fluoridation” Caries Res 36(3):170-3 (2002)

Menghini G, Steiner M, Marthaler T, Helfenstein U, Brodowski D, Imfeld C, Weber R, Imfeld T - "Caries prevalence among students in 16 Zurich districts in the years 1992 to 2000" Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed 113(3):267-77 (2003)

Milner T, Estupiñán-Day D - “Overview of Salt Fluoridation in the Region of the Americas: Part II. The Status of Salt Production, Quality & Marketing and the State of Technology Development for Salt Fluoridation” Salt 2000, 8th World Salt Symposium, Volume 2, pg 1033-1038 (2000)

PAHO - General Guidelines for Drafting a Legal Framework: Mandatory Iodization and Fluoridation of Salt for Human Consumption Division of Health Systems and Services Development Regional Program on Oral Health (November 2001)

PAHO Press Release, Aug. 23, 1996
http://poisonfluoride.com/pfpc/html/paho_1996.html

Pollick H - “Questions and Answers on Water Fluoridation - Prepared by Howard Pollick, BDS, MPH (2004)

Reuters Health - “Fluoride in Table Salt Cuts Tooth Decay in Jamaica”, Aug. 21, 2001

Salas MT - Fluoridated Salt - CEDROS Newsletter, Year III,N.5 (1994)

Soto-Rojas AE, Urena-Cirett JL, Martinez-Mier Ede L - "A review of the prevalence of dental fluorosis in Mexico" Rev Panam Salud Publica 15(1):9-18 (2004)

Stephen KW, Macpherson LM, Gorzo I, Gilmour WH - “Caries, fluorosis and salt fluoridation in the city of Szeged” Fogorv Sz 91(8-9):275-80 (1998)

SVE (Schweizerische Vereinigung fuer Ernaehrung) - Streit ums Salz, Tabula 3 (1999)

Tovar LR, Guttierrez Ma E, Cruz G - "Fluoride content by ion chromatography using a suppressed conductivity detector and osmolality of bitterns discharged into the pacific ocean from a saltworks: Feasable causal agents in the mortality of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, Baja California Sur, Mexico" Analytical Sciences Vol.18:1003 (2002)

UNICEF - "Fluoride in water: An overview" (2001)

UK Food Standards - Salt & Health (Complete Report)
Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) (2003)

UK Food Standards Press Release (May 15, 2003)

WHO - "Salt Fluoridation Programme to prevent dental caries in Jamaica" (2002)

WHO - “Fluorides and Human Health” Report of a WHO Expert Committee on Oral Health Status and Fluoride Use. WHO Technical Report Series, 846. Geneva: WHO, 1994

Yewe-Dyer M - "My view on fluoridation" BDJ 192(10):551-553 (2002)
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