Some parents may believe that it’s healthier for their children to drink bottled water, but new research from the USA has revealed that doing so can lead to much higher instances of tooth decay.
The Daily Mail revealed that 15 per cent of children who drank only bottled water were at a greater risk of tooth decay than those who drank tap water.
According to the news provider, the main reason for this is that much US tap water contains fluoride, which can significantly reduce instances of tooth decay. However, scares over water quality, in particular relating to its lead content, have resulted in some parents only letting their kids drink bottled water.
Flint, in Michigan, saw a significant increase in lead levels after switching its water supply in 2014. It was deemed unsafe, and officials changed the water supply after protests from parents.
However, the study by the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill noted that just three per cent of people between the ages of two and 19 had lead in their blood, yet nearly 50 per cent had tooth decay.
When you’re arranging event water delivery, you should not only think about the quality of the supply, but how you’ll communicate that to attendees if they ask or have any concerns.
Dr Gary Slade, co-author of the research, stated that water fluoridation “benefits all people, irrespective of their income or ability to obtain routine dental care”. However, he added: “Yet we jeopardise this public good when people have any reason to believe their drinking water is unsafe.”
Aside from the health impacts of drinking bottled water, there are other consequences to consider as well, such as the environmental impact.
Figures from Surfers Against Sewage show that eight million pieces of plastic pollution enter our oceans every day.
