Getting parents to recognize the truth about fluoride | Expert Opinion

The infant before me was giggling and showing off a few pearly whites. “Would you all be interested in fluoride dental varnish?” I asked her parents. “I can apply it just by brushing her teeth and it will keep them protected.” “Oh no, thank you. We don’t use that,” they replied. “We only like natural products for our children.”

In our pediatrician offices, many families are concerned fluoride may contain dangerous chemicals or cause harmful side effects for their children. Videos and articles these families read or watch often use persuasive language and perpetuate myths that fluoride can lower a child’s IQ and affect developing brains.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element that can be found in water supplies without any human intervention. Adding small and safe amounts of fluoride to drinking water in the 1940s revolutionized tooth protection for citizens in the U.S. and globally. Whether ingested in water or as an ingredient in toothpaste, fluoride has reduced tooth decay for adults and children alike.

Unfortunately, misleading information about fluoride circulates widely on the Internet. These rumors raise more questions than answers, especially related to kids. It is easy to read scary headlines and think ‘should I stop using fluoride for myself and for my family?’ Both on a local and national scale, I am seeing firsthand how these doubts can affect children. At the individual level, parents may decline topical dental varnish while at their pediatrician’s office. In the larger public health space, some states and local governments are completely banning fluoride from their public water supply.

We know that tooth decay makes our teeth look bad, but it’s also painful and dangerous. Cavities serve as a launch pad for infection. These infections may even spread from the mouth to other parts of the body. Fluoride is an easy way to preserve tooth health and potentially prevent complications of tooth decay.

What fluoride is:

Using fluoride for our children, at recommended doses, is safe. At the appropriate doses, it improves dental health with no documented side effects. All children can have topical fluoride varnish applied at pediatric preventive visits or at the dentist whenever they start showing teeth. If concerns are raised, families should discuss them with their healthcare provider or dentist.

For my patient whose parents were worried about fluoride, we were able to have a more in-depth conversation about their concerns that it is an unnatural product that could hurt their child. They are not alone in their search to find accurate information.

That search can be tricky, and tools like Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Pediatric Health Chat provide validated medical information, tracking the most common examples of medical myths parents raise during visits and sharing the facts so families can help make medically informed decisions.

When you hear confusing medical information in your community, submit it to the website. And find a pediatrician you can talk with when you have concerns – we are always here to listen.

Editor’s note: Pediatric Health Chat is an online initiative at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia taking aim at the latest myths and misconceptions about children’s health. Kayla E. Cooper is a resident physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.