Sodium Fluoride

Hyde, R. (Photographer). (July 12,2010). Stay Hydrated [Digital image]. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/breatheindigital/4788694752/in/photolist-8iaj7C-nvsNVY-6CzJrD-5V2yNr-6PcNBk

Did you know that the same compound that dentists use in either a rinse or foam to protect your teeth is often added to community water sources for the exact same reason?  Not only that if you look at your own tube of toothpaste you may even find sodium fluoride listed as one of the ingredients; it’s everywhere these days!  Sodium fluoride is often added in minute quantities to water to help prevent tooth decay, which is especially in children and adults (American Dental Association, 2005, pg.6).    According to the American Dental Association (2005) one of the main discoveries and reasons that sodium fluoride is added to the water is that this compound is really good at preventing the development of cavities and other dental damage when applied to the teeth (pg. 11).  It does this by being incorporated into tooth structure and making teeth more resistant to decay and strengthening the enamel (American Dental Association, 2005, pg. 11)  Starting in 1945 sodium fluoride has been added to drinking water after it was found that communities where it occurred naturally had fewer incidences of cavities (National Research council, 2006, pg 15).  While trace amounts of sodium fluoride are found naturally it is more often a by-product of fertilizer manufacturing as well the product of certain chemical reactions (Schlager, Weisblatt, and Newton, 2006, pg. 748). 

You may think that because fluorine is very harmful to humans that sodium fluoride must also be a fairly hazardous product to be added to water.  Sodium fluoride is a highly stable compound that is safe for consumption within reasonable limits (Toxnet, n.d).  While there is a great deal of benefits that can be gained from fluoridation are but there are some select risks due to the practice.  However, for the most part these side effects are relatively benign.   The most common observed effect is the fluorosis (American Dental association, 2005, pg. 28) of teeth; this is discolouration due to exposure to fluoride.  While it may be a bit unsightly it isn’t detrimental to one’s health at all.    To start seeing some more serious side effects you would have to ingest between 5 to 10 grams  in one sitting (Toxnet, n.d.); it is at this point where issues such as skin reactions, nausea, vomiting, respiratory failure and death would occur (Schlager et al., 2006, pg. 751).  This is incredibly hard to achieve when the concentration in municipal water is strictly controlled so as to remain 0.7 to 1.2 mg/L (National Research council, 2006, pg. 15).

The addition of sodium fluoride and water fluoridation should not be considered dangerous or harmful to individuals’ health.  In fact it is added to ensure dental health in communities and reduce the rate of oral health issues such as cavities and tooth decay. 

Sources

American Dental Association. (2005). Fluoridation Facts. Retrieved on October 31, 2016. From http://www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Member%20Center/FIles/fluoridation_facts.ashx

Hyde, R. (2010). Stay Hydrated [Photograph].  Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/breatheindigital/4788694752/in/photolist-8iaj7C-nvsNVY-6CzJrD-5V2yNr-6PcNBk

National Research Council., Committee on Fluoride in Drinking Water, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Ebrary Academic Complete (Canada) Subscription Collection, and the National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Fluoride in Drinking Water. (2006). Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's standards. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press

Sodium Fluoride. (2006). In N. Schlager, J. Weisblatt, & D. E. Newton (Eds.), Chemical Compounds (Vol. 3,

pp. 747-751). Detroit: UXL. Retrieved from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2200/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=mtroyalc&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3441700187&asid=7dd19c355e338b776fdc9e86a67b49fa

Toxnet (n.d) HSDB: SODIUM FLUORIDE CASRN: 7681-49-4. Retrieved on October 31, 2016. From https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~pqOCrh:2