New York -- May 2004 -- “Fluoridation honors†were
bestowed upon many communities(1), which happen to have the
highest cavity and tooth loss rates, by the American Dental
Association (ADA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
and the American Association of State and Territorial
Dental Directors (AASTDD). Organized dentistry neglected to
check oral health before awarding their “2003 Community
Water Fluoridation Awards.†Dentists may be embarrassed
to learn they honored the most toothless and cavity-prone
Americans in the name of water fluoridation. Is your
community on the list?(1)
Fluoride added to water supplies, usually at taxpayers’
expense, is publicized to save money and prevent tooth
decay. Conspicuously absent are data supporting these
claims.(2) In fact, government statistics reveal worse or
less teeth in residents of fluoridation-honored communities
than in their non-fluoridated counterparts. For example:
A) Dentists gave Fifty-Year Awards to fluoridating water
systems including:
· seven West Virginia and 5 Kentucky water districts. Yet,
42% of mostly fluoridated(3) West Virginians and Kentuckians
are edentulous – the country’s worst toothless rates.(4)
And 66 percent of West Virginian children have cavities by
age eight.(17)
· the Tulsa, Oklahoma, water department, where 19% of
residents lost six or more teeth.(5) Compare that to New
York State’s two largest non-fluoridated counties,
Suffolk and Nassau, where only 16% lost six or more teeth.
Nassau and Suffolk received no kudos for retaining their
natural choppers.
Further, an Oklahoma Department of Health Report reveals an
“Alarming Prevalence of Tooth Decay Among Oklahoma’s
Children,†where nearly 70 percent of third graders have
cavities(6) although 75% drink fluoride-laced water.
· Nashville, Tennessee, where 20% lost 6 or more teeth.
Contrast: Wichita, Kansas refused fluoridation, repeatedly
over the years(7)(8). Results: more teeth for Wichita - only
14% lost 6 or more, less than most fluoridated cities. Yet,
no awards for Wichita!
B) “State Fluoridation Quality Awards†were given to:
· 96% fluoridated Indiana, where 25% have lost all their
teeth; 45% have lost 6 or more teeth.(4)
· 96% fluoridated North Dakota where 5,262 children
participate in fluoride mouthrinse/tablet school programs
and 44% of eight-year-olds participate in sealant programs.
Yet, 51% of 6 to 8-year-olds and 70% of 14-year-olds olds
have tooth decay.(9)
C) “State Fluoridation Reaffirmation Award†given to
Monticello, Arkansas. "The state of Arkansas children's
dental health is in crisis and needs immediate
attention" reports the Arkansas Department of
Health(10). 72% of Arkansas third-graders have cavities
despite 60% state-wide fluoridation(11).
D) “Community Initiative Awards†given to recently fluoridation-
adopting communities, e.g. Pinellas County, Florida, over
the strong objections of its citizens. (Citizens for Safe
Water aquasafe.usAquaSafe Action.htmOpen ↗ )
E) The “State Fluoridation Initiative Award†to Utah
with the most teeth but least fluoridation of all the
states (2%), not for their good dental health, but
because “Utah has the most new systems fluoridating.â€
This despite vigorous citizen opposition. (
stopfluoridation.homestead.comstopfluoridation.homestead.comOpen ↗ )
F) California Fluoridation 2010 Workgroup and the $15
million funding from the California Endowment were
awarded for forcing fluoridation in California while
citizen groups in various cities formed, at their own
expense, to resist the addition of an untested chemical
into their drinking water.(15). Only four states have
better tooth retention rates than slightly fluoridated
(29%) California. The California Fluoridation Task Force,
found that poor children had the most cavities regardless
of fluoridation status.(16)
“The Surgeon General declared tooth decay a silent
epidemic(12). Yet, two-thirds of Americans drink fluoridated
water,†says lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State
Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. “The truth is, most
American children are fluoride over-dosed(13), and the
poorly nourished get more cavities(14) regardless of
fluoridation,†says Beeber
Groups opposed to fluoridation fluorideaction.orgfanOpen ↗
contacts.htm
Contact: New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation,
Inc., PO Box 263, Old Bethpage, NY 11804
[email hidden]
References:
1) 2003 COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION AWARDS,
ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND TERRITORIAL DENTAL
DIRECTORS, ANNUAL MEETING and NATIONAL ORAL HEALTH
CONFERENCE, May 3, 2004
ada.orgfluoridationOpen ↗
awards.pdf
2) "What the 'York Review' on the fluoridation of drinking
water really found," 28 October 2003, Centre for Reviews
and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK
york.ac.ukfluoridnew.htmOpen ↗
3) February 2002, CDC: Populations Receiving Optimally
Fluoridated Public Drinking Water --- United
States, 2000
4) CDC: Public Health and Aging: Retention of Natural Teeth
Among Older Adults --- United States, 2002
cdc.govmm5250a3.htmOpen ↗
5) CDC: SMART: Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk
Trends, Oral Health: Lost 6 or more teeth due to decay
or gum disease
apps.nccd.cdc.govbrfssOpen ↗
smart/ListMMSAQuest.asp?yr2=2002&MMSA=Al
l&cat=OH&qkey=6605&grp=0
6) COMANCHE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT, February 26, 2004 health.state.ok.usPressOpen ↗
Media/2004/Tooth%20Decay
%20and%20Oklahoma%20Children.htm
7) "The Ayes Have It! Wichita Water Department: A
History 1882-1982", chapter 8, page 098 w-w-Open ↗
ichita.gov/CityOffices/WaterAndSewer/WWDHistoryBook/-
Chapter8/8 -98.htm
8) The Wichita Eagle, May 9, 2004, “What the
Legislature Didâ€
9) Overview of Oral Health in North Dakota Power Point
Presentation health.state.nd.uspreventOpen ↗
/mch/dental/summit2000/Oral%20He
alth%20Access%20in%20North%20Dakota.ppt
10) Dental health of state's children said 'in a crisis' By
Anthony Childress, 4/20/2004
jonesborosun.comarchivedstory.aspOpen ↗
11) CDC: “Percentage of 3rd Grade students with Caries
Experience (treated or untreated tooth decay) “
cdc.govbyState.htmOpen ↗
12) “First-ever Surgeon General's Report on Oral Health
Finds Profound Disparities in Nation's Populationâ€
nidr.nih.gov052500.aspOpen ↗
13) J Am Dent Assoc. 2002 Feb, Prevalence and trends in
enamel fluorosis in the United States from the 1930s to
the 1980s, Beltran-Aguilar ED, Griffin SO, Lockwood SA.
ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
eve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11868834&dopt=Abstract
14) "The relationship between healthful eating practices and
dental caries in children aged 2-5 years in the United
States, 1988-1994," Journal of the American Dental
Association, January 2004 ncbi.nlm.nih.goveOpen ↗
ntrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=
Abstract&list_uids=14959875
15) fluoridealert.org250.htmlOpen ↗
16) "The Association of Early Childhood Caries and
Race/Ethnicity among California Preschool Children,"
Shiboski, Gansky, Ramos-Gomez, Ngo, Isman, Pollick,
Journal of Public Health Dentistry, Winter 2003
enn.comdisplayOpen ↗
release.asp?objid=D1D1364B000000F56F7E81 925727268A
17) Winter 2003 West Virginia Oral Health Task Force
wvvoices.orgOralHealth NewsOpen ↗
letter.pdf