Filtered and bottled water consumption could increase tooth decay risk

Washington Post Staff Writer 
Monday, January 17, 2011; 4:31 PM

Little did I know that filtering my family’s tap water might put our teeth at risk.

Two years ago,when I was pregnant and reporting on how the federal government was unwilling to regulate the rocket-fuel component 

drinking water

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perchlorate in drinking water, my husband and I decided to install a reverse osmosis filter in our kitchen tap. Since D.C. tap water has come under fire for its high levels of everything from lead to hexavalent chromium, it seemed like a sensible move.

But during a recent visit to the dentist, my hygenist remarked she had started noticing a rise in tooth decay among children who drank only filtered or bottled water, presumably because they were not drinking fluoridated water. And it suddenly occured to me: Neither was my 20-month-old son, with his 17 teeth.

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