Water district sued over fluoridation program; fatty acids tough on teeth

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

A water district in Southern California is being accused of putting its customers at risk by fluoridating its water with a drug that does not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.

A lawsuit filed August 9 by four Southern California residents against the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) alleges that MWD is injecting hydrofluosilicic acid into the water supply in an effort to treat disease and dental caries. But can MWD make such a claim about an unapproved drug? Click here to read more, or visit the Restoratives Community.

Meanwhile, saturated fatty acids (SFA) are bad not only for our bodies but our teeth as well, according to a study in the Journal of Dental Research. The key appears to be SFA's tendency to produce an inflammatory response in tissue. Read more in this latest Hygiene Community feature.

And in Imaging & CAD/CAM Community news, compressing digital panoramic images can affect their diagnostic quality and the ability to evaluate certain anatomical structures, according to a study in Clinical Oral Investigations.

Finally, Dr. Cherilyn Sheets -- founder of the National Children's Oral Health Foundation -- has made it her mission to help improve the oral health of people from all walks of life. In addition to running a high-end cosmetics and restoratives practice in Newport Beach, CA, she oversees the Children's Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles, which gives struggling families the tools they need to defeat dental disease, once and for all. Click here to read more about our latest Dental Hero.