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Dr. Connett and his FAN CLUB conducted a
world-wide campaign to gather signatures opposing community water
fluoridation (CWF).
But
there is an overwhelming consensus amongst dental, medical and public health
professionals supporting Fluoridation .
There is solid, easily found evidence that Fluoridation works - - it is as
easy as reading the peer reviewed literature.
The evidence for the effectiveness of water
fluoridation is incontrovertible. More than a dozen large-scale
literature reviews have found water fluoridation, even against a backdrop of
high discretionary fluoride use, to confer a caries preventive benefit in
children. Further to this, water fluoridation and its effect on the
tooth structure provides a benefit to adults across their lifespan.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2222595/
The ant-fluoridation arguments are little more than fallacious non-science.
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Connett's view of
the European situation likely comes from a graph on the Fluoride Action
Network's website. The graph misleads. For example, not all European
countries are included. Secondly, the widespread use of fluoridated salt is
not mentioned. For a discussion of that and other errors please read the
famous debate between Drs.
Connett and Pollick .
“Fluoridation is one of the 10 greatest
public health achievements of the 20th century,” Dr. Howard Pollick
of the University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry told the
subcommittee as he encouraged members to continue fluoridation.
“Fluoridation is safe, it saves money
and it works — that is the bottom line, take-home message,” Will Humble,
Director for the Arizona Department of Health Services, told the
subcommittee.
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Great Britain
is currently undertaking an expansion of water fluoridation similar in
scope to what has and is occurring in California.
Removing any doubt as to European opinion, in May 2011 the
European Union's Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental
Risks issued a formal report titled "Critical review of any new
evidence on the hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to
fluoride and the fluoridating agents of drinking water".
http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/environmental_risks/docs/scher_o_139.pdf
The European
opinion as to water fluoridation's safety joins those of
- Australia's National Health Research Council
(2007),
- the
US National Academy of Sciences (2006),
- the World Health Organization (2006),
- Ireland's Forum on Fluoridation (2002)
- and others.
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Here are 4 examples from a few hundred one can find in the
National Library of Medicine's database of peer reviewed journals.
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Community water fluoridation prevents about 2/3 of the operations
necessary for severe childhood cavities in baby teeth and saves about 50%
of the total bill for childhood dental care in Medicaid patients. MMWR
Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999 Sep 3;48(34):753-7. Water fluoridation and
costs of Medicaid treatment for dental decay--Louisiana, 1995-1996.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10499787
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The largest study ever done on cavities in school children's permanent
teeth found that in the Pacific Region fluoridated communities had 61%
fewer cavities. J Dent Res. 1990 Feb;69 Spec No:723-7; (see graph on
p 323) Recent trends in dental caries in U.S. children and the effect of
water fluoridation. Brunelle JA, Carlos JP.
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Kids who drink fluoridated water become adults with more teeth. Am J
Public Health. 2010 Oct;100(10):1980-5. Epub 2010 Aug 19. The association
between community water fluoridation and adult tooth loss. Neidell M,
Herzog K, Glied S.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20724674
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Teeth with mild fluorosis have fewer cavitis. J Am Dent Assoc. 2009
Jul;140(7):855-62. The association between enamel fluorosis and dental
caries in U.S. schoolchildren. Iida H, Kumar JV.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19571049
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