Ask the Doc Published Feb. 26, 2007 By 43rd Medical Group POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Q: My kids are suffering from several cavities; is there any fluoride in the water to prevent them? A: Many communities add fluoride to their drinking water to promote dental health, and Pope is one of them. Each community makes its own decision about whether or not to add fluoride. The Environmental Protection Agency has set an enforceable drinking water standard for fluoride of four milligrams per liter (some people who drink water containing fluoride in excess of this level over many years could get bone disease, including pain and tenderness of the bones). The EPA has also set a secondary fluoride standard of two mg/L to protect against dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis, in its moderate or severe forms, may result in a brown staining and/or pitting of the permanent teeth. This problem occurs only in developing teeth, before they erupt from the gums. Children under 9 should not drink water that has more than two mg/L of fluoride. Please send your questions to askthedoc@pope.af.mil. We look forward to hearing from you!