After reviewing a recently published paper on a possible association between fluoride in water and osteosarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer), the ADA remains confident that community water fluoridation is a safe, effective public health measure for preventing tooth decay.

The ADA agrees with the paper’s authors that their work constitutes an “exploratory analysis” that will require scientific confirmation to confirm or refute the findings. The data in this paper is simply one piece of a much more comprehensive 15-year study by the Harvard School of Dental Medicine scheduled for publication later this summer. The principal investigator of the larger Harvard study has advised against drawing conclusions before seeing the full study, which will not suggest an overall association between fluoride and osteosarcoma, he states. Further, an “association” found in one, limited study, falls far below any scientific standard needed to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. In fact, after more than 60 years of rigorous scientific study of water fluoridation, the overwhelming weight of scientific evidences does not show an association with osteosarcoma.

Bottom line: Nothing in this study should deter the public from continuing to enjoy the proven health benefits of optimally fluoridated water.

For more information about community water fluoridation, visit the A-Z Public Topic: Fluoride & Fluoridation.

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Page Updated: April 7, 2006