Bottled Water: Is It Giving Your Children Cavities?

Is your child spending too much time in the dental chair? If so, it could be the bottled water he’s drinking. A new study presented at the American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting showed that dental caries in children is associated with drinking bottled water.

Dental Caries in Children and Bottled Water: The Study

Researchers looked at 239 children who came to an oral health clinic over a three year period. The found that sixty-two percent of these kids had dental caries by the age of two years, and half of these children drank bottled water. After looking at other risk factors that would increase the risk of dental cavities among these children, the only one they could find was drinking bottled water.

Dental Cavities in Children and Bottled Water: Why Is Bottled Water a Problem?

Researchers believe that children drinking bottled water are more susceptible to dental caries because of the lack of fluoride. Bottled water is usually purified or processed through a reverse osmosis filter which removes most of the available fluoride. Fluoride protects children’s teeth against decay by preventing demineralization of tooth enamel, while helping to promote remineralization. Dental caries in children have declined significantly since fluoride was added to tap water.

Fluoride in Drinking Water: Is It Safe?

Too much fluoride in drinking water can cause a different type of dental problem – a condition called fluorosis. This is a condition where the tooth enamel becomes damaged by excess fluoride from water, toothpastes, or mouthwashes containing fluoride. This causes the teeth to develop cosmetic deformities such as pits, chalky areas, steaks, or discolorations. There’s also concern about how excess fluoride could affect other bones in the body. Animal studies show that exposure to high levels of fluoride increases the risk of bone cancer. Fluoride also suppresses thyroid function and some experts believe that the fluorination of drinking water accounts for the increased incidence of hypothyroidism in the past few decades.

Should Your Child Stop Drinking Bottled Water?

Drinking bottled water may not be safe for a variety of other reasons. Most bottled water is packaged in plastic bottles which contain BPA or bisphenol-A, a component which can leach into the water. Children may be particularly susceptible to the effects of this chemical that scientists believe alters hormone levels in the body and possibly causes cancer. Testing of bottled water done by the Environmental Working Group found contaminants including suspected cancer causing chemicals in many leading brands of bottled water. Ironically, many parents are giving their kids bottled water because they’re worried about the purity of tap water.

Dental Caries in Children and Bottled Water: The Bottom Line?

It’s best to avoid giving kids bottled water – particularly water packaged in plastic bottles. In terms of dental cavities in children, exposure to low levels of fluoride may be protective, but higher levels can cause problems such as fluorosis. It’s particularly important to keep exposure to fluoride a low between the ages of one and four since that’s the critical period when children are most susceptible to the effects of high levels of fluoride. If you give your children tap water containing fluoride, don’t overdo it by giving them a mouthwash or toothpaste containing fluoride. A little fluoride is good for the teeth, but too much is a bad thing.