Fluoride in our toothpaste: essential or toxic?

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We carelessly smear it on our teeth: fluoride. According to dentists it is indispensable, others claim that it is poisonous and can cause diseases. How much of that is true?

Fluoride is a natural mineral that occurs naturally in small amounts in water, air, plants and rocks. It has been added to toothpaste for decades because it protects tooth enamel from cavities. Fluoride hardens enamel and helps repair it when it has been damaged by acids.

The wildest stories about fluoride are circulating on social media. For example, it could lower your IQ, cause health problems such as bone cancer and thyroid problems or lead to poisoning.

Radar investigated how much of this is true. Remco Westerink, head of the Neurotoxicology research group at Utrecht University, explained to the consumer program that fluoride is only toxic if you ingest too much of it. Every substance, even water, can be toxic in large quantities. In the quantities that 'we' ingest, with recommended and correct use, there are no health risks.

The acceptable amount of fluoride in Europe is about 3 milligrams per day. There is about 1 milligram of fluoride in the toothpaste that you put on your toothbrush. So you can easily brush your teeth two to three times a day. According to Westerink, those 3 milligrams are also very strict; in the United States, for example, the advice is to stay below 7 milligrams of fluoride.

In addition, the absorption of fluoride through your toothpaste is minimal. "Because you spit it out again and your cheek mucosa certainly does not absorb all the fluoride. It is just not the intention that you eat it. Then you could ingest too much fluoride, which could be harmful." Toothpaste for children contains less fluoride, because young children often swallow toothpaste.

According to Westerink, the connection between a lower IQ and fluoride intake is not entirely out of the blue. There are indeed studies that say there is a connection, but that seems to be the case with a higher level of fluoride. He states that there are a few things wrong with the studies. For example, these studies often focus on one area, where more fluoride is added to the drinking water. Also, the people in the areas where the research was done often come from regions with lower socio-economic classes, with worse lead water pipes and they have a lower income.

Dental hygienist and clinical epidemiologist Professor Dagmar Else Slot sees the benefits of fluoride in particular: “Its use has very positive effects on your oral health.”

She would not recommend toothpaste without fluoride. “It is difficult to maintain a healthy mouth without using toothpaste with fluoride. The risk of cavities is then considerably greater than when you brush with a fluoride toothpaste. Eating and drinking creates an acid surge in the mouth, at which point the enamel slowly dissolves. With fluoride you make your enamel extra strong. Fluoride also builds up, in the very beginning of a cavity.”

Taking good care of our teeth is important . Did you know that it is best to brush your teeth before breakfast? And do you suffer from bad breath? This is often caused by this and this is how you can get rid of it.