Fluoride

Western Europe has mostly moved away from fluoridated water, with only 3% of Western Europe fluoridated according to the article. The article says about 70% of the US water supply remains fluoridated. The article frames fluoride-containing and fluoride-free toothpaste as product options to consider. The article rejects fluoride as an essential nutrient because no metabolic activity or essential function depends on it. The article says no regulatory agency recognizes fluoride as a nutrient. The fluoride-centric approach to cavity prevention is not working, given that 90% of the population still has cavities. The article omits detailed fluoride arguments on the assumption that readers are already familiar with objections to it. Fluoride is named as one of the major toothpaste concerns but is not discussed in mechanistic detail. The article does not make a definitive recommendation for or against fluoride toothpaste. Multiple U.S. states have begun moving to ban fluoride. The article says the US lowered the maximum allowed fluoride level to 0.7 parts per million in 2015. Fluoride was introduced into drinking water and toothpaste based on an early study claiming dental benefits. Fluor…