Start / Critically Speaking / 134 fluoride your teeth and your brain

134 Fluoride: Your Teeth and Your Brain

6 min • 17 november 2021

Evidence is emerging that fluoride, a chemical that helps prevent dental cavities or caries, also is a neurotoxin that can cross the placenta and enter the developing brain. Recent studies reveal that excess fluoride during fetal development can result in impaired intelligence and cognition in children.

Key Takeaways:

Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay.
An excess during gestation can produce dental "fluorosis" , discolored and even pitted teeth in the children
Fluoride is also a neurotoxin, detectable in the parts of the brain involved in learning and memory
Recent studies show an association between fluoride in maternal urine during pregnancy and impaired behavior in children
People are getting more fluoride now because it is used in beverages, personal care products, and polluted air.

"Strong associations exist between the level of maternal urinary fluoride, in other words, how much the mother was exposed to, and the test scores of their children." — Therese Markow, Ph.D.