3 ms·

I think The Netherlands took it out of their potable/tap water some while ago (like in the '70s).

by mc32 3y ago

esperent 3y ago
Because they added it to salt and toothpaste instead.
- jeroenhd 3y ago
  Fluoride in salt? I know they put iodine in table salt, but not fluoride.
  - Timon3 3y ago
    In Germany you can definitely buy table salt with Fluoride in a supermarket.
  - ahazred8ta 3y ago
    It's available online, and stores in many countries carry it. https://www.google.com/search?q=fluoridated+salt&tbm=shop https://www.google.com/search?q=fluoridated+salt&tbm=shop
- mc32 3y ago
  Toothpaste, for the most part, isn't swallowed. Salt, you can get any kind you want. I think this gives consumers more discretion/control over what they want to or do not want to ingest.
  - esperent 3y ago
    Yes, I agree. I was just pushing back against the common false narrative that no fluoride in tap water equals no fluoride at all. It's brought up as a fact in every online discussion about fluoride. Usually it's alongside that one study that shows naturally occurring fluoride in water is harmful to children's mental development. Which is true, but neglects to mention that the areas studied (in rural China) had levels of fluoride twenty times higher then public water fluoridation programs and that the same study also included a control group at "normal" added fluoride level and found no negative effect. Heres the study. You'll start to recognize it if you get involved in a few of these discussions. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852689/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852689/
  - dmbche 3y ago
    As an aside, your gums and tongue will absorb a lot - think about chewing tobacco, people putting cocaine on their gums, pills you leave under your tongue. This is also why resorts will tell you to brush your teeth with bottled water. While it obviously absorbs less than eating any compound, it still absorbs quite a bit!
- ricardobeat 3y ago
  I can tell you that salt is not fluoridated in the Netherlands (most people who care about cooking use pure sea salt anyway). As for toothpaste, almost every toothpaste anywhere in the world has it. There is evidence both ways, the original reports were that children's dental health improved after they stopped fluoridation in the 70s.
  - bandyaboot 3y ago
    > There is evidence both ways, the original reports were that children's dental health improved after they stopped fluoridation in the 70s. Has that effect been persistent? I would think the news of flouride being removed from the water would cause an increase in dental health diligence, but I would also be surprised if that effect didn’t wane over time.
    - mvdwoord 3y ago
      I remember growing up in the 80s in the Netherlands I used to get daily fluoride tablets, from a small pink bottle. Did not persist long I believe, but was definitely common back then.
    - s1artibartfast 3y ago
      I don't know what they do in the Netherlands, but in rural parts of the United States where people are on well water, fluoride treatments are common. Florida is directly applied to the teeth during a dental visit, then washed out. Anecdotally, this is what I had and I have great Dental Health despite for brushing hygiene. I often skip brushing my teeth and almost never floss and haven't had a cavity in 40 years
      - bandyaboot 3y ago
        Fwiw, I’ve pretty much always lived with access to municipal water with added flouride and have also always been given flouride treatment at the dentist. I think the latter is pretty universal in the US.
  - jorvi 3y ago

I think The Netherlands took it out of their potable/tap water some while ago (like in the '70s).

by mc32 3y ago

I think The Netherlands took it out of their potable/tap water some while ago (like in the '70s).

esperent 3y ago

Because they added it to salt and toothpaste instead.

jeroenhd 3y ago
Fluoride in salt? I know they put iodine in table salt, but not fluoride.
- Timon3 3y ago
  In Germany you can definitely buy table salt with Fluoride in a supermarket.
- ahazred8ta 3y ago
  It's available online, and stores in many countries carry it. https://www.google.com/search?q=fluoridated+salt&tbm=shop https://www.google.com/search?q=fluoridated+salt&tbm=shop
mc32 3y ago
Toothpaste, for the most part, isn't swallowed. Salt, you can get any kind you want. I think this gives consumers more discretion/control over what they want to or do not want to ingest.
- esperent 3y ago
  Yes, I agree. I was just pushing back against the common false narrative that no fluoride in tap water equals no fluoride at all. It's brought up as a fact in every online discussion about fluoride. Usually it's alongside that one study that shows naturally occurring fluoride in water is harmful to children's mental development. Which is true, but neglects to mention that the areas studied (in rural China) had levels of fluoride twenty times higher then public water fluoridation programs and that the same study also included a control group at "normal" added fluoride level and found no negative effect. Heres the study. You'll start to recognize it if you get involved in a few of these discussions. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852689/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1852689/
- dmbche 3y ago
  As an aside, your gums and tongue will absorb a lot - think about chewing tobacco, people putting cocaine on their gums, pills you leave under your tongue. This is also why resorts will tell you to brush your teeth with bottled water. While it obviously absorbs less than eating any compound, it still absorbs quite a bit!
ricardobeat 3y ago
I can tell you that salt is not fluoridated in the Netherlands (most people who care about cooking use pure sea salt anyway). As for toothpaste, almost every toothpaste anywhere in the world has it. There is evidence both ways, the original reports were that children's dental health improved after they stopped fluoridation in the 70s.
- bandyaboot 3y ago
  > There is evidence both ways, the original reports were that children's dental health improved after they stopped fluoridation in the 70s. Has that effect been persistent? I would think the news of flouride being removed from the water would cause an increase in dental health diligence, but I would also be surprised if that effect didn’t wane over time.
  - mvdwoord 3y ago
    I remember growing up in the 80s in the Netherlands I used to get daily fluoride tablets, from a small pink bottle. Did not persist long I believe, but was definitely common back then.
  - s1artibartfast 3y ago
    I don't know what they do in the Netherlands, but in rural parts of the United States where people are on well water, fluoride treatments are common. Florida is directly applied to the teeth during a dental visit, then washed out. Anecdotally, this is what I had and I have great Dental Health despite for brushing hygiene. I often skip brushing my teeth and almost never floss and haven't had a cavity in 40 years
    - bandyaboot 3y ago
      Fwiw, I’ve pretty much always lived with access to municipal water with added flouride and have also always been given flouride treatment at the dentist. I think the latter is pretty universal in the US.
- jorvi 3y ago