Meryl Horn (Senior Producer, PhD)

What did you think when you saw that data?

What did you think when you saw that data?

So other studies generally find the same thing. Kids do tend to get more cavities when they grow up without fluoridated water.

So other studies generally find the same thing. Kids do tend to get more cavities when they grow up without fluoridated water.

Yeah, these kids are getting fewer cavities, and I know maybe you're thinking... Who cares? Little cavity here or there. Maybe it doesn't matter so much. Right. It's just their baby teeth. They're going to get more. Well, it actually does matter. So like if you lose your baby teeth early, like if you have to get them extracted, then your adult teeth might not come in as straight.

Yeah, these kids are getting fewer cavities, and I know maybe you're thinking... Who cares? Little cavity here or there. Maybe it doesn't matter so much. Right. It's just their baby teeth. They're going to get more. Well, it actually does matter. So like if you lose your baby teeth early, like if you have to get them extracted, then your adult teeth might not come in as straight.

So that could affect you for the rest of your life. And we do have evidence that living in a place with less fluoride in the water will make it more likely that kids will need to get teeth extracted and also get intense dental work done like where they'll need to go under general anesthesia. Which ideally, like we'd want to avoid putting kids through that.

So that could affect you for the rest of your life. And we do have evidence that living in a place with less fluoride in the water will make it more likely that kids will need to get teeth extracted and also get intense dental work done like where they'll need to go under general anesthesia. Which ideally, like we'd want to avoid putting kids through that.

And we also have evidence that fluoride is particularly good for kids who come from poorer families. Like in Lindsay's study, after Calgary stopped fluoridating their water, it widened the gap between the richer and the poorer kids when it came to like how bad their teeth were. Not all studies find this to be true, but Lindsay's does seem to be like one of the best ones.

And we also have evidence that fluoride is particularly good for kids who come from poorer families. Like in Lindsay's study, after Calgary stopped fluoridating their water, it widened the gap between the richer and the poorer kids when it came to like how bad their teeth were. Not all studies find this to be true, but Lindsay's does seem to be like one of the best ones.

Well, it's kind of hard to tell how much it matters. Like, if you're already an adult and you live in a place with fluoridated water, how much that makes a difference. Like, one study said that there was just 2% less tooth decay for adults who lived in places with more fluoride in the water.

Well, it's kind of hard to tell how much it matters. Like, if you're already an adult and you live in a place with fluoridated water, how much that makes a difference. Like, one study said that there was just 2% less tooth decay for adults who lived in places with more fluoride in the water.

Partly, yeah, actually. And also, apparently, I just learned this, that the enamel of baby teeth is thinner and more porous. And then even after you start getting your adult teeth, those teeth are also more cavity prone since they're softer. It takes them years for them to reach maximal hardness, according to one paper. Wow.

Partly, yeah, actually. And also, apparently, I just learned this, that the enamel of baby teeth is thinner and more porous. And then even after you start getting your adult teeth, those teeth are also more cavity prone since they're softer. It takes them years for them to reach maximal hardness, according to one paper. Wow.

So, yeah, it's like pretty convincing to me that fluoride in the water is still helping our teeth. Right. Which brings us back to Lindsay's study. So there's one more thing I wanted to tell you about that, which is about how people reacted to it in Calgary. So after her studies came out, the town actually ended up voting on this. And decided to put fluoride back in the water. Whoa!

So, yeah, it's like pretty convincing to me that fluoride in the water is still helping our teeth. Right. Which brings us back to Lindsay's study. So there's one more thing I wanted to tell you about that, which is about how people reacted to it in Calgary. So after her studies came out, the town actually ended up voting on this. And decided to put fluoride back in the water. Whoa!

Yeah, it seems like it. Like they had a vote and 62% of the people said, yes, we want to fluoridate our water again.

Yeah, it seems like it. Like they had a vote and 62% of the people said, yes, we want to fluoridate our water again.

Yeah, so her study got a lot of attention, like even in the U.S. Here's some of that coverage.

Yeah, so her study got a lot of attention, like even in the U.S. Here's some of that coverage.