CA Dental Insurance, Fluoridated water has minimal benefits.
When water fluoridation began back in the 1940s and 50s, dentists believed that fluoride needed to be swallowed in order to be most effective. This belief, however, has now been discredited by an extensive research.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, fluoride’s predominant effect is posteruptive and topical. This means any benefits that accrue from the use of fluoride, come from the direct application of fluoride to the outside of teeth, and not from ingestion. There is no need, therefore, to expose all other tissues to fluoride by swallowing it.