Discuss the historical observations that led to the fluoridation of drinking water in the United States. Please make sure to take a position for or against the fluoridation of drinking water and support your stance with specific examples and public health evidence.

PLEASE REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 125 WORDS)

                                                           CLASSMATE’S POST

The fluoridation of water in the United States was first discovered in 1901 by a dentist, Dr. Fredrick McKay, who noticed that the majority of this patients were coming in with stains on their teeth, which he related to the fluoride in the water supply (Friis, 2012).  In 1930, research regarding this idea was conducted by Dr. Trendley Dean and discovered that the optimal dose of fluoride in water should be 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million of drinking water (Friis, 2012).  One of the main benefits to fluoride in drinking water is that it helps reduce tooth decay.  However, I am against this method of putting fluoride in the water supply because when people go to the dentist, once a year they have the patients do a fluoride swish and spit for one minute, which helps to keep the tooth enamel from decaying.  Therefore I think it is unnecessary to input it in the drinking water as well, especially if it causes stains on one’s teeth.  Who is to say that the water supply has too much fluoride in it which can cause toxicity?  Research shows that it does not happen often, but some water supplies have fluoride toxicity.  With that being said, I think public health officials need to test the water supply companies at least once a month for fluoride levels to make sure they are within legal limits.

Reference:

Friis, R. H. (2012). Essentials of environmental health (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.