BOH Agenda 032520 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Expert Evaluation by Gary D. Slade, BDSc, No DPH, PhD M. Synopsis • On average, throughout people's lifespan, most of the dental health benefits of fluoridated water are due to TOPICAL effects of the fluoride in preventing decay. • The remaining benefit is due to pre-eruptive effects that occur when fluoride is incorporated into unerupted teeth as they are forming under the gums during childhood. • Topical effects and pre-eruptive effects account for approximately equal portions of the preventive benefit in childhood, whereas in adulthood, the benefit is entirely due to topical effects. • People experience the greatest preventive benefit when they experience both effects which happens when fluoridated water is consumed in childhood and throughout life. 1.2. Plain language summary Throughout people's lifespan, fluoride in drinking water prevents dental decay mostly because of its topical effects on teeth that have erupted. This is called the post-eruptive effect. The remaining preventive benefit is due to fluoride being incorporated into unerupted teeth as they are forming under the gums during childhood. This is called the pre-eruptive effect. When dental health benefits of fluoride were first discovered in the 1930s and 1940s, it was assumed that preventive effect was mostly pre-eruptive. It wasn't until the 1960s, when fluoride was first added to toothpaste, that researchers discovered that decay could be prevented by topical effects of fluoride on erupted teeth. Subsequent laboratory research and population studies showed that fluoride in drinking water has topical effects (in addition to its pre-eruptive effects). Those studies found two ways in which fluoride in drinking water prevents decay topically, on erupted teeth. Firstly, while the fluoridated water is in the mouth, some of the fluoride comes into contact with the soft dental 31