Dr Justin Wall: dentist on the research confirming fluoride doesn't reduce cognitive ability

A long-term US study shows water fluoridation at recommended levels doesn't reduce cognitive ability.

The 40-year study found children who drank such water did slightly better in school tests.

By 60, that edge was insignificant, but fluoride didn't contribute to cognitive decline.

Dentist Justin Wall says this puts this particular argument to bed - but theories about fluoride are bound to continue.

"People would probably blame fluoride for mullet haircuts and not getting the Lotto numbers right if they could. But at the end of the day, fluoride is very highly researched."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Brace yourself because we're going from one controversial thing to
the other. We're about to talk about the F word, fluoride.
I know you've got someone in your life who this
is going to freak out. There is a long term
US study which has been published that shows that fluoridated
water does not negatively impact your brain. The researchers followed
a cohort of people who were in high school in
nineteen eighty all the way through to their sixties. Those

(00:20):
who had grown up with fluoridated water did not have
more cognitive decline than the others. Doctor Justin Waller is
a practicing dentist and with us.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Now, Hi, Justin got.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
A right, So the settles it, right. It's not bad
for your brains drink the fluoridated water.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
No, not at all. What it's great, it's good news.

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Oh okay, yes, so it does settle it. It is
it is not bad for your brain.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
It is not bad for your brain whatsoever. No, but
does that and it's good for.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Your cheese yep, obviously, But doesn't settle it justin because.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Well you know, well that is the thing. Someone will
come up with something. Fluoride is blamed for absolutely everything.
People would probably blame fluoride for mullet haircuts and not
getting the lotto numbers right if they could. But at

(01:12):
the end of the day, fluoride is very highly researched
and in every endeavor is to make sure that we
understand fully how it operates.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
Listen, I've grown up in a family where my mum
used to buy me. Did you ever get those when
you were a kid, those little white pills that were
were have fluoride pills and they were supposed to make
your teeth stronger.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Yes, and d yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
So I have been munching fluoride my entire life, which
probably explains a lot about me to the anti fluorod brigade.
So I have and this is without a word of
a lie, even in my forties. I have no idea.
What the what is their problem with fluoride?

Speaker 2 (01:45):
It is it's a political philosophy. It's it's nothing to
do with the fluoride per se. Is a group of
people who do not like to be dictated to by
somebody somebody else, particularly governments or health authorities.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
I mean, do they think it's affecting their brains?

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Oh? Definitely, absolutely. This was an argument that was put
up at the appeal against the Hamilton City Council fluoridating
the water supply. There was a tribunal and this information
was put in front of that about some spurious information
or data that came out of China and Iran that
suggested that this was the case. But it's not the case.

(02:25):
And you know, this has been put to bed. The
cognitive a cline and floridation has been put to bed.
But there'll be something else will come up. I mean,
you can be guaranteed there'll be something else.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Oh, shifting of the goalposts.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Well, just the continuation of a pushback and without people
actually saying that they don't like it, because that's the
political ideology. They try and invent scientific reasons for saying
that we shouldn't have fluoridation.

Speaker 1 (02:51):
Okay, now, question for you, why do we need it
in our water though, if we've already got it in
our toothpaste?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Because some people don't brush the teeth. Okay, that's the
plain and simple. Some people don't brush their teeth as
well as they should. They you know, it's either in
frequent or it's too quick. And it's because it's it's
simple and easy. It is as I said, there's no

(03:18):
negative health impacts to you at all, but it is
going to protect you from dental decay. So why wouldn't you.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Okay, listen while I've got you ten month old baby
time to start brushing teeth.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Absolutely, get them familiar with with the toothbrush. Stick the
toothbrush in their mouths, but you shouldn't let them, you know,
play with the toothpaste and gobble toothpaste. Well not really.
I mean, babies like some things, but I don't think
I mean, but Brussels sprouts are probably better than toothpaste.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
Well you know that one did just gobble down the toothpaste. Actually, listen,
Justin thanks very much appreciated, doctor Justin Wall practicing dentists. Actually, incidentally,
it's not that hard to brush the teeth of a
ten month old day. I don't know if you've found this.
If you've got two kids, but the first one bloody
hard to get them to do it, But the second
one they see the first one doing it, so they
want to do it too, So breeze, shove the toothbrush
and they go for it.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
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