the stains developed sometime around the eruption of adult teeth and that teeth with “Colorado brown stain” were incredibly resistant to decay. McKay theorized that the discoloration might have been caused by something in the drinking water. While initial tests on the water in Colorado Springs and other cities in the 1930s didn’t reveal anything suspicious, tests with more advanced equipment later revealed high levels of fluoride. This revelation, combined with earlier observations that brown stained
THE MOMENT OF TOOTH
How Fluoridation Became a Public Health Achievement
Seventy-five years ago, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city in America to intentionally add small levels of fluoride to their water supply. They did so as part of an experiment to see if ingesting fluoride would prevent tooth decay, also called dental caries, as indicated in previous studies. The experiment proved a landslide success in preventive dental care, and today, fluoridated water is available to over 200 million Americans. The basis for the experiment in Grand Rapids began 44 years prior. In 1901, a young dental graduate student named Frederick McKay opened a practice in Colorado Springs and was shocked to find that many locals had unsightly brown stains on their teeth. McKay couldn’t find the cause in any medical journals, so he began to investigate. Progress was slow, but between 1909 and 1915, McKay and another researcher found that
teeth were resistant to decay, led some researchers to posit that lower levels of fluoride in the water might help prevent staining while still fighting tooth decay. After preliminary tests, researchers finally tested their theory in Grand Rapids in 1945. The tooth decay rate among children in Grand Rapids dropped 60% in just 11 years. This led other cities across America to adopt the practice. By 2008, 72% of the U.S. population had access to fluoridated water. For the first time in the history of dentistry, dentists had a tool to prevent tooth decay instead of just tools to treat it after the fact. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called fluoridation of water one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Seventy-five years after the experiment in Grand Rapids, the American Dental Association is celebrating the monumental impact of fluoridated water on dental health. Even though it may have taken Frederick McKay’s research nearly four decades to come to fruition, the results have been more than worth it.
Have a Laugh
Date Truffles
Valentine’s Day is all about love … and chocolate. Enjoy these chocolate peanut butter date truffles with your date this Valentine’s Day.
Ingredients • 1 lb medjool dates, pitted (about 1 1/2 cups) • 1/2 tsp sea salt • Warm water
• 1/4 cup peanut butter • 1 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped • 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
Directions 1. Using a food processor, blend dates and sea salt until dough can be formed into a ball. Slowly add enough warm water to mixture to thicken dough. 2. Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Freeze for 20–30 minutes. 3. In microwave, warm 1/4 cup peanut butter for 30 seconds, then drizzle peanut butter on top of balls. Freeze balls for another 20 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, in microwave, warm chocolate with coconut oil until melted. Stir well. 5. Coat balls in chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 6. Top with additional salt and freeze for 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature. Inspired by The Minimalist Baker
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