1. Office of the Chief Dental Officer
Health Canada’s Position on Fluoride
Community Issues Committee
Lethbridge, Alberta
February 28, 2011

2. Health Canada’s Involvement to date.
By Invitation;
Present Science (from Health Canada’s expert review panel);
Present International Information;
Respect Provincial / Territorial / Municipal Parameters.

3. Oral Health and Overall General Health
Dental disease is:
the #1 chronic disease in children & adolescents;
(U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, May 2000)
five (5) times more common than asthma;
one of the main reasons preschool children receive a general anaesthetic;
the second most expensive disease category in Canada;
47% of Canadians have had dental disease by 6 years of age, 96% have had it in their lifetime.
Oral health is linked to a number of systemic diseases.

4. Health Canada’s Position on Fluoride:
As part of normal activities to update drinking water guidelines, in Spring 2006, Health Canada (HC) initiated a review of fluoride.
The process included:
-Contracting 3 researchers to prepare papers in the following areas:
level of dental fluorosis in Canada,
non-dietary sources of fluorides,
fluoride's impact on the body (neurological, bone, etc)
-HC prepared a paper on fluoride in soil, air and food by age group;
-The papers were reviewed by 3 other experts with similar backgrounds;
-All 6 experts, HC reps, chair of the Federal Provincial Territorial Committee on Drinking Water, Canadian Dental Association and US Environmental Protection Agency were brought together to consider all the research.

5. Findings of Review Total Daily Intake:
General decrease in recent years (Use of supplements has decreased and concentrations of fluoride in infant formulas have decreased)
Dental Fluorosis:
First 3 years of age is period of most significant concern;
Point of concern should be moderate dental fluorosis (Dean’s Index);
Other Health Effects:
No conclusive evidence related to bone fracture, cancers, intelligence quotient, skeletal fluorosis, immunotoxicity, reproductive and developmental toxicity, genotoxicity and neurotoxicity based on a Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) of 1.5 mg/L.

6. Recommendations from Review
The MAC of 1.5 mg/L for fluoride in drinking water should be reaffirmed.
To adopt a level of 0.7 mg/L as the optimal target concentration for fluoride in drinking water, which would prevent excessive intake of fluoride through multiple sources of exposure.
Findings and recommendations of the Fluoride Expert Panel Meeting, January 2007.

7. Fluorosis 60% 24% 12% 4% <0.3% → 6 - 12 year olds Normal teeth
Questionable1
Very Mild
Mild
Moderate /severe2
60%
24%
12% 4%
<0.3%
1 ill defined and could be due to antibiotic usage, infection, severe fever, trauma etc.
Note:
Initial WHO central calibration
Recalibration on first day of each new site
Recalibration at mid point of each site
Recalibration before end
2 Statistics Canada criteria for withholding reporting value:
Highly unstable numbers (<10)
Coefficient of variation > 33.3%
For information regarding measures spread in data see the Statistics Canada web site:

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10. 1961-2009 Trends in Water Fluoridation and Dental Decay in Canada.
Children’s Decay (DMFT) Rates
Dr. Carlos Quinonez, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto

11. 1972 / 2009 Canadian Decay (DMFT) Comparisons.
* Although we have made great improvements in oral health in Canada, there is still a lot of work to be done.

12. Who supports Fluoridation?
World Health Organization (WHO)
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
American Medical / Dental Associations
Canadian Dental Association
Health Canada (HC)
Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry
Canadian Pediatric Society
Canadian Public Health Association
Toronto Public Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry
Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario
Ontario College of Dental Hygienists
Ontario Dental Association
Recent US Surgeon General’s Report
Federation Dentaire Internationale (FDI)

13. Examples of Studies That Support Water Fluoridation
Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2000
Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation. UK/International study, 2000
Recommendations for Using Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries in the United States. US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001
Forum on Fluoridation. Ireland, 2001
A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Fluoridation. National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Government, 2007

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15. Health Canada continues to recognize the benefits of
Conclusions
Health Canada continues to recognize the benefits of
community water fluoridation, and supports it as a safe and an
effective method to prevent tooth decay.