Uncle Sam Says a Little Less Fluoride Is Better — Dave’s Diary

The debate over the health benefits of fluoride continues. Opponents call our show from time to time to warn how bad it is, while government studies have touted the benefits for years. Perhaps the government blinked first.For the first time in 53 years, the federal government is lowering the recommended amount of fluoride to be added to drinking water. Health officials say they're making the change because with fluoridated products like toothpaste and mouthwash, some people -- particularly children -- are getting too much of the mineral, leading to white splotches on teeth.

The standard was set in 1962, when the government began advising water systems to add fluoride at a level of somewhere between 0.7 parts per million to 1.2 parts per million, depending on location and local water characteristics. Now, they're recommending the maximum of 0.7 parts per million everywhere.

Seventy years ago science discovered that fluoride protects against cavities, and Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first city to add it to its drinking water in 1945. Some 75 percent of Americans drink, cook with and bathe in fluoridated water today.