Dentists Alerted to FluorideÂs Health Damage in Journal of American Dental Association
Dentists Rarely Admit Fluoride's Adverse Effects
New York (PRWEB) February 12, 2005
ÂThe combination of gastric problems, difficulty in swallowing, leg muscle pain, and pain in the knee and hip joints is a key indicator of fluoride toxicity, and patients using high-concentration home fluoride treatments should be monitored for these symptoms, is reported in the January 2005 Journal of the American Dental Association. (1)
After ruling out other causes, a physician theorized his mouth-cancer patientÂs unrelated ailments were caused by his dentist-prescribed high-dose daily fluoride regimen. The dentist contacted the American Dental AssociationÂs (ADA) research center which confirmed fluoride toxicity, reports the studyÂs authors, F. C. Eichmiller, DDS, Director, American Dental Association FoundationÂs Paffenbarger Research Center and colleagues.
ÂThe patient visited his physician with complaints of gastric distress, dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing when eating or drinking, soreness of the leg muscles and knee joints, and general malaise, Eichmiller and colleagues write.
Tests by the physician showed thickening of the esophagus walls and other irregularities of this muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. ÂMany of these symptoms might have been considered normal sequelae of the head-and-neck cancer treatment if not for the latent onset of joint and muscle pains, they report.
EichmillerÂs team monitored the patientÂs urinary fluoride levels while fluoride treatments were lowered until his symptoms disappeared. When fluoride treatments were stopped completely and brushing just once a day with fluoridated toothpaste, this patientÂs symptoms disappeared without any increase in tooth decay, the researchers report.
EichmillerÂs team advises dentists that ÂWhen prescribing fluoride for compromised patients, clinicians should keep in mind both the dosage and method of administration. Lack of saliva could lead to less dilution of the gel or dentifrice, less ability to expectorate efficiently, longer retention in the mouth and a greater proportion of ingested material. Patients also may apply too much fluoride or use it too often in an effort to prevent the development of caries. In addition, the symptoms of fluoride toxicity can be fairly subtle and easily masked by other local and systemic problems in these patients, they write.
Clinicians who prescribe these high-concentration fluoride products even to non-cancer patients Âmust closely monitor the patientÂs compliance with the treatment regimen, minimize the dosage by using well-fitting custom trays and small quantities of gel or dentifrice, instruct patients to expectorate as much fluoride as possible and advise them to promptly report any gastric problems or joint and muscle pain, the researchers write.
Recently a womanÂs bone pain and stiffness was diagnosed as fluoride toxicity from drinking two gallons daily of instant tea.(2) Tea is naturally fluoridated.
The cancer patient in this article was prescribed a 2% fluoride treatment (possibly containing 12,300 ppm fluoride) He was instructed to put 1 milliliter to 2mL of the gel into each of two custom-made trays, apply for three minutes, then expectorate the excess and to avoid rinsing or drinking for 30 minutes after removal of trays. However, the patient did it twice a day for four months before he was diagnosed with fluoride toxicity.
Fluoridated toothpaste contains 1,000 ppm and artificially fluoridated water has approximately 1 ppm.
Painful and sometimes crippling skeletal fluorosis is common in countries where water and/or food supplies contain naturally high levels of fluoride such as in Nalgonda, India.(3a, 3b)
ÂSince so many dentists and physicians still need to be taught fluorideÂs side effects, we wonder how many arthritic patients really are manifesting fluoride toxicity, says Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. ÂDrinking fluoridated water will exacerbate their disease since fluoride accumulates in the bones even at the low levels injected into our water supplies.Â
References:
(1) Journal of the American Dental Association, ÂControlling the fluoride dosage in a patient with compromised salivary function, Frederick C. Eichmiller, D. D.S.; Naomi Eidelman, Ph. D.; Clifton M. Carey, PhD., Vol. 136, page 67 -70, January 2005 Frederick. Eichmiller@nist. gov
(2) ÂPotentially Harmful Fluoride Levels Found In Some Instant Teas, 2/9/05 Science Daily http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2005/02/050205124905.htm (http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2005/02/050205124905.htm)
(3a) http://www. nalgonda. org/flourosis. php (http://www. nalgonda. org/flourosis. php)
(3b) ÂIndian villagers crippled by fluoride, April 2003, BBC article: http://www. nalgonda. org/BBC. htm (http://www. nalgonda. org/BBC. htm)
Reported by the New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation
Contact:
Paul S. Beeber, President and General Counsel
New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc
PO Box 263
Old Bethpage, NY 11803
Nyscof@aol. com
Http://www. orgsites. com/ny/nyscof (http://www. orgsites. com/ny/nyscof)
Http://www. fluoridealert. org (http://www. fluoridealert. org)
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Http://groups-beta. google. com/group/Fluoridation-News-Releases (http://groups-beta. google. com/group/Fluoridation-News-Releases)
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