The trend for bottled water could be damaging teeth, according to new research conducted in America. According to a study published in the January/February 2009 issue of General Dentistry, the journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, bottled water fans are missing out on the valuable fluoride found in tap water. Researchers tested the fluoride content in more than 100 different samples of bottled water, which fell into six categories, distilled, drinking/purified, spring/artesian, mineral, fluoride-added and flavour-added.

Of the total 105 samples, the fluoride concentrations in the majority of the samples fell below the US Government's recommended range of 0.7–1.2 parts per million (ppm), the ideal range to prevent cavities. Only five samples met the recommended range.

Lead author of the study, Ryan L. Quock, DDS, recommends that consumers speak with their dentist about their primary drinking water source. 'Understanding consumers' water drinking habits is extremely important,' he says. 'Determining if they are drinking appropriately fluoridated water, especially when they have or are at risk for cavities, is crucial information, because fluoridated water is an automatic way for them to help improve their oral health. Talking to them also allows us to have a conversation about fluoride's effects, mainly focusing on its relationship to dental caries and fluorosis.'