Children that have teeth discolored by fluoride have a higher risk of bone damage, according to a study published in the journal Fluoride.

132 Tibetan children, aged 8 to 13-years-old and living in a low fluoride water environment, developed dental fluorosis (tooth discoloration) from fluoride in their diets in foods like brick tea, a popular Asian drink, fed to children as young as two years old.

Wrist x-rays reveal that 96% of those children with dental fluorosis had

“developmental skeletal abnormalities” including carpal bone hardening or thickening.”

Consequently, discolored teeth in children should be viewed as more than a matter of cosmetic concern. It can also be a indication of preliminary skeletal fluorosis that might lead to full-scale debilitating skeletal fluorosis in adulthood.Skeletal fluorosis symptoms include pain, stiffness and/or deforming bone defects.

The EPA has determined that 4 parts per million is the maximum fluoride allowed in water in order to avoid skeletal fluorosis. Yet, some people exceed 4 milligrams daily from their diet, alone. In fact as many as 63% of children living in optimally fluoridated areas (0.7 – 1.2 ppm) have dental fluorosis.

There are other studies linking fluoride to skeletal probems. A British Medical Journal study reports that older white women from fluoridated communities have a 32% higher rate of wrist fracture.  A Mexican study links dental fluorosis to bone fractures. Polish pediatricians found abnormal bone changes in 11 to 15 year-olds exhibiting dental fluorosis. And there are many other studies linking fluoride to other diseases like arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome.

The problem is that you have little control over your local government’s fluoridation policies. If your water tests for high fluoride levels or if your local municipality fluoridates drinking water, then your only solution is to purchase a water filtration system that will effectively remove fluoride from your water. You must take personal responsibility.