Is flouride good for your teeth?
Frederick McKay, a young dentist, noted that those who lived there had very low rates of tooth decay, although they did have higher rates of a condition called fluorosis, characterised by a brown staining of their teeth.
Analysis of the local water supply showed that fluoride levels there exceeded 2mg per litre, a relatively high concentration compared to other areas. However, the observed resistance to tooth decay got dentists wondering whether it would be possible to harness the positive effects of fluoride (reduced decay) without incurring the brown discolouration effect, by simply adding fluoride to the water supply in concentrations less than 2mg/l.
