An additional reason to encourage drinking tap water, particularly for children and adolescents, is that it contains fluoride.
A surgeon generalâ??s report in 2000 ranked oral health as a serious health problem in children in America. For low-income families in particular, substituting bottled water without fluoride for tap water in formula feeding or for general use increases the likelihood of dental caries and poor oral health.
High-risk children donâ??t need to buy â??status water,â? which will add one more problem to a long list of adverse health outcomes they face.
John J. Frey III, M.D.
Madison, Wis., Aug. 1, 2007
The writer is a professor of family medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.