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posted by Fnord666 on Friday February 21 2020, @04:10PM   Printer-friendly
from the something-to-sink-your-teeth-into dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

Exposing teeth to excessive fluoride alters calcium signaling, mitochondrial function, and gene expression in the cells forming tooth enamel -- a novel explanation for how dental fluorosis, a condition caused by overexposure to fluoride during childhood, arises. The study, led by researchers at NYU College of Dentistry, is published in Science Signaling.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that helps to prevent cavities by promoting mineralization and making tooth enamel more resistant to acid. It is added to drinking water around the world -- the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends a level of 0.7 parts per million -- and all toothpastes backed by the American Dental Association's Seal of Acceptance contain fluoride. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named water fluoridation one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century for its role in reducing tooth decay.

While low levels of fluoride help strengthen and protect tooth enamel, too much fluoride can cause dental fluorosis -- a discoloration of teeth, usually with opaque white marks, lines, or mottled enamel and poor mineralization. Dental fluorosis occurs when children between birth and around nine years of age are exposed to high levels fluoride during this critical window when their teeth are forming, and can actually increase their risk of tooth decay. A survey by the CDC found that roughly 25 percent of the U.S. population examined (ages 6 to 49) show some degree of dental fluorosis.

"The benefits of fluoride for oral health considerably outweigh the risks. But given how common dental fluorosis is and how poorly understood the cellular mechanisms responsible for this disease are, it is important to study this problem," said Rodrigo Lacruz, PhD, associate professor of basic science and craniofacial biology at NYU College of Dentistry and the study's senior author.

Francisco J. Aulestia, Johnny Groeling, Guilherme H. S. Bomfim, Veronica Costiniti, Vinu Manikandan, Ariya Chaloemtoem, Axel R. Concepcion, Yi Li, Larry E. Wagner, Youssef Idaghdour, David I. Yule, Rodrigo S. Lacruz. Fluoride exposure alters Ca2 signaling and mitochondrial function in enamel cells. Science Signaling, 2020; 13 (619): eaay0086 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aay0086


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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday February 21 2020, @06:19PM (2 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Friday February 21 2020, @06:19PM (#960753) Journal

    ?? I'm not sure enough to argue about it, but I really thought that was the polio vaccine. Smallpox? Maybe - it's possible we got both shots at the same time, and I just assumed the polio is the one that left the scar.

    Which makes me wonder about people going to boot camp these days. We got multiple batteries of shots. On one day, maybe five shots, couple days later maybe four more, and then another round with another five shots. The "A" shot was the one that went into your right butt cheek. I don't remember what it was, but if you didn't exercise yourself half to death, that shot would leave you so sore that you wanted to die the next day. A couple others tended to hurt some, but nothing like that "A" shot!

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @06:44PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 21 2020, @06:44PM (#960774)

    polio vaccine. Smallpox? Maybe - it's possible we got both shots at the same time

    Polio vaccine is not even a shot, at least not the the past. Only recently is it a shot to prevent people getting infected and you get no scar.

    http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-prevention/the-vaccines/opv/ [polioeradication.org]
    http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-prevention/the-vaccines/ipv/ [polioeradication.org]

    so yes, you probably had smallpox scar.

    https://www.healthline.com/health/smallpox-vaccine-scar#vs-bcg-with-photo [healthline.com]