Years ago, there was a huge problem happening in the United States. Teeth were in a bad state, sometimes even rotting away. This was thought to be due to various causes, but perhaps the biggest was a lack of access to dental care. Fluoridation of the water was thought to be a big win in the U.S. as well as in several other countries. Many dental associations celebrated the move and have consistently hyped its effectiveness and safety. Opponents of the move equate it to things like vaccines, in that the people are not choosing to have this in the water and it, therefore, should not be. In theory, that makes sense.
[Image via Miker/Shutterstock.com]However, there are no risks to adding fluoride to water, especially not the very small amount added in. Due to many feeling that it was a violation of rights, they started up several scientific conspiracy theories to somehow prove it was not safe. By the 1950s and 1960s, scientific conspiracy theories began. One concept pushed was that it was a communist plot to undermine public health in America. There have been claims that it caused cancer, heart problems, and that was even used for mind control. As of 2012, roughly 430 million people worldwide receive water fluoride at the recommended medical level. About 13% have natural fluoridated water while 87% receive artificially fluoridated water. Today, around 75% of U.S. citizens receive fluoridated water… and no problems have occurred because of the water.