Concern about water quality, taste and social customs has spiked the public’s interest in drinking water.  According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation, over the course of the 1990s, average intake of bottled water more than doubled. Per capita bottled water consumption has increased every year for the past 25 years. While in 2000 the per capita consumption was 18.3 gallons, in 2005 it was estimated that consumers drank approximately 25 gallons per person – more than any other beverage, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, with the exception of carbonated soft drinks (I actually wish it would pass the soft drinks as well!).

 Dentists have long known—that optimally fluoridated water helps prevent tooth decay.  I drink a lot of bottled water, but unfortunately most bottled water contains fluoride at a level below 0.3 parts per million (the optimal amount fro decay prevention is .7 to 1.2 ppm).  There isn’t a large body of research regarding the use of bottled water and decay.  However, it is well known that lack of exposure to fluoride does increase an individual’s risk for decay. People who drink bottled water as their primary source of water could be losing the decay preventive effects of optimally fluoridated water available from the community water supply.  One problem though, among the large variety of bottled waters available, only a few provide information to the consumer on the label regarding fluoride content.

Until recently, current regulations required fluoride content of bottled water to be listed on the label only if fluoride is added during processing.  The good news is that the FDA recently made a decision to allow bottlers to prints claims that fluoridated water may reduce the risk of dental cavities or tooth decay on their bottles. According to the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, “the food eligible to bear the claim is bottled water...containing greater than 0.6 and up to 1.0 mg/L total fluoride, and meeting all general requirements for health claims....”  That way if you are a “bottled water only” drinker you will at least be able to know if you are helping your teeth or not.  Whether you drink fluoridated water from the tap or buy it in a bottle, you’re doing the right thing for your oral health. The FDA states (and I agree) that this health claim is not intended for use on bottled water marketed to infants for whom lesser amounts of fluoride are appropriate.

For over five decades, the American Dental Association has continuously endorsed the fluoridation of community water supplies and the use of fluoride-containing products as safe and effective measures for preventing tooth decay.  Approximately 170 million people in the United States are served by public water systems that are fluoridated.

Now if you thought only bottled water was the problem, think again.  Here you have all of this great preventive fluoride in the water supply, yet some types of home water treatment systems can reduce the fluoride levels in water supplies as well.  The process of removing all of the “bad things” with a water treatment system also potentially decreases the decay-preventive effects of optimally fluoridated water. 

It would ideally be best if a person could have a daily intake of water that comes from the community water supply.  If you just can’t go that route, hopefully some of the bottled water suppliers will start listing their fluoride content so you will have an idea of what you are getting.  Keep an eye on those labels!  I hope all of you have an incredible Christmas.  Take care and God bless.