Natural fluoride isn’t quite enough

From Philadelphia, Pa., at a meeting of the American Public Health Association

The reunification of East and West Germany in 1990 has had some consequences for dental health, researchers have found.

Decades ago, health officials in many countries, including East Germany, added fluoride to public water sources to reduce tooth decay. After Germany reunified in 1990, however, the country’s eastern states suspended fluoridation, which hadn’t caught on with their western counterparts.