The AAP Policy Statement on Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk says
babies should not receive fluoride supplements in the first 6 months of
life. I have yet to read the evidence in peer-reviewed journals that
exclusively BFd babies have abnormal numbers of cavities. If that were
true, what is the control group - the ideal group to be emulated?

Don't remember my biochem - does mom's intake of fluoride pass through in
her milk?

My other questions are: what amt is normal, i.e. naturally occurring, and
what amt is considered a supplement, i.e. higher levels than what would
occur naturally in our biosphere. And how much do they get with toothpaste
2x day and with fluoride treatments in the dental office 2x a year? Does it
accumulate in the body or does the body slough it off?

I was able to find my state's water quality guidelines &/or water companies
and find out how much fluoride was in the water in any given community. It
seemed to vary widely. Does anyone know if reverse osmosis removes
fluoride? How about filtering devices? Do water softening systems that use
either salt or potassium have any effect on fluoride levels? I'm wondering
about formula-fed babies getting more fluoride than the AAP or the dental
assn (ADA?) thinks they should. Yet I have never read guidelines for
prep'ing formula that mentions the +/- of fluoride in the water before age
6 mos.

Since the dental profession has begun educating parents to swab down babies
gums and erupting teeth after every meal, has there been any documented
decrease in baby-teeth dental caries? If so, which groups? Did it change
for exclusively BFd babies?

I'm from the old school when tooth-brushing was taught when the kid was
able to stand on a stool and do it himself. No baby-tooth cavities in my
kids' teeth. That could be genetic or dumb good luck.

Phyllis Adamson, IBCLC, RLC
Glendale, AZ
[log in to unmask]


  There was an article on Early
> Childhood Caries that stated "If your water does not contain fluoride or
you
> are beastfeeding only, your child is a high risk for caries." It also
stated
> "sources of fluoride include drinking water, foods and formula prepared
with
> water."   It pretty much said that formula feeding is better for your
> child's teeth than breastfeeding! 
 

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