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Fluoride in toothpaste
I have just returned from travelling in the USA and was shocked to see a fluoride warning on toothpaste which said users should contact a poison control centre if they swallowed more than was used for brushing. It also advised to use only a pea-sized amount for children under six. I found all this rather scary and have been looking for a natural toothpaste ever since. Can you help?
Fluoride is a cumulative poison and while the body excretes about 50% of the fluoride we ingest, the rest is stored, mainly in the bones. Less than 2% of Europe’s population now has fluoridated water, which was banned by Sweden and West Germany in 1971; Norway in 1975; Holland in 1976 and Demark in 1977. France rejected fluoridation in 1980.
The warning you saw on the label of an American toothpaste has been a legal requirement since 1997 - but despite the results of recent worldwide trials showing no significant difference in tooth decay between children living in fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities, more than 90% of us still use fluoride toothpaste believing it will strengthen teeth and prevent cavities. Six million of us also drink fluoridated water.
Since 1990, there have also been numerous large-scale studies reporting a link between fluoride intake and hip fractures with some showing an 87% increase among elderly populations. Skeletal fluorosis is said to be a serious risk in people who have ingested 10-20mg of fluoride per day for between 10 and 20 years.
In August, The Green People Company - which is currently developing chemical-free personal care products - launched an organic toothpaste for adults and children. The latter is mandarin flavour and adults can choose from mint, citrus or fennel. All four flavours contain a sweet herb called stevia which some clinical trials suggest may help prevent tooth decay and none of them contain sodium lauryl sulphate which is used on conventional products as a foaming agent.
Charlotte Vontz, a former chemist and the founder of the Green People Company, warns that the gums absorb 90% of what you put on them and says there is evidence that sodium lauryl sulphate, in high concentrations, dissolved protein in the body and so may make gums weaker.
*To mail order Green People Company products call 01444-401444. There is a minimum order requirement of three tubes of toothpaste at £2.99 per tube plus £1.25 p&p. The Fennel flavour also contains clove and myrrh and has antiseptic healing properties for those suffering from bleeding gums.