Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Endorses Fluoride

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Endorses Fluoride

In an updated position paper, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, has reaffirmed its endorsement of the use of systemic and topical fluoride as a vital public health measure that benefits overall health. The paper, “The Impact of Fluoride on Health,” was published in the September issue of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and is available online.

Written by Carole A. Palmer, EdD, RD, LDN, division head of nutrition and oral health promotion and professor at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and Friedman School of Nutrition Science in Boston, and Joyce Ann Gilbert, PhD, RD, executive director and associate professor at the Marilyn Magaram Center at California State University, Northridge, the paper cites research and statistical evidence that supports the use of fluoride. Whether administered systemically or topically, fluoride benefits all age groups, and the updated statement encourages dietetic practitioners to endorse its use. Palmer and Gilbert also point out that using fluoride to prevent caries is regarded as the most effective dental public health measure in existence. The authors note, however, that although water fluoridation has been one of the most effective means of improving the public’s oral health, one third of Americans do not have access to fluoridated community water sources.