Tooth decay is harming children in a fluoridated area?!

Daniel Ryan — Wed, 11 May 2016 23:39:53 +0000

There has been an article in the media recently talking about the possibility of Wellington City creating more water fountains, to help curb tooth decay. Wellington currently has community water fluoridation. Although the article didn’t have a single word about fluoridation, anti-fluoride groups have been saying this is proof that fluoride isn’t working. “Why would a city that is fluoridated have tooth decay in children?“

Pat McNair, the Fluoride Free NZ Hamilton Coordinator, said this:

We’re happy to explain: you can have it both ways. Dental decay remains the single most prevalent chronic (and irreversible) disease among New Zealanders of all ages. No one has said that water fluoridation will solve all problems of tooth decay. While fluoride is not a silver bullet, it is an important part of reducing dental caries. Water fluoridation, at the levels used in New Zealand, reduces both the prevalence and severity of tooth decay. It is a great first step for a community to take, as it is the most cost-effective measure available and it helps the whole population, including the vulnerable.

Removing fluoride would just make things worse.

Did you know?

A peer-reviewed study on fluoridation was undertaken, comparing Wellington with Canterbury. This large cross-sectional analysis of routinely collected data from school dental services examined differences in dental caries rates between children (8,375 5-year-olds and 7,158 12-year-olds) living in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas of Canterbury and Wellington. Overall, the study determined that the benefits of fluoridation continue to be significant. The prevalence and severity of caries were 30% lower in fluoridated areas than in non-fluoridated areas. The advantage of fluoridation was greatest for Māori and Pacific children and those in low socioeconomic groups.

We need to also realise that water fluoridation is just one of the strategies in place for fighting the problem of tooth decay in children. District health boards have a number of other programmes like early enrolment in dental services early childhood centres, topical fluoride varnish programmes for children. “Lift the Lip,” a process of non-dental health professionals screening children’s teeth, Education for parents and caregivers and Promotion of healthy lifestyle choices. Like water fluoridation, neither of these is a silver bullet either. In practice social health policies like these and community water fluoridation are complementary.

The continuing existence of child tooth decay does not mean we should abandon such policies. If anything it means such programmes should be strengthened and extended – especially if, like water fluoridation, they are known to be effective in reducing tooth decay.

We should see the creation of more water fountains in the Wellington area as another complementary programme aimed at helping reduce the prevalence of child tooth decay by drinking less sugary drinks and more contact with fluoride in the water. A programme combining the advantages of fluoridation, reduction of sugar consumption and development of good drinking habits.

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Dr Paul Connett’s NZ talk on fluoridation

Daniel Ryan — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 02:08:52 +0000

So I went to one of Dr Paul Connett’s talks on fluoridation. He is a great public speaker, so I can see why people idolise him. It didn’t surprise me that Connett believes in some kind of conspiracy around the area of fluoridation.
A couple of his talks that I know of had similar questions asked on why are health authorities pushing fluoridation. I’ll quote on what he said on the Wellington talk.

“Now saving 0.6 of a tooth surface does not seem something that I would go back for myself but if the other public health service policies… You might want to go back for it if you measured vaccination. Vaccination is worth billions of dollars to the pharmaceutical industry and we know in the United States there is a very unhealthy relationship between the FDA and the CDC and the pharmaceutical industry. There are more lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry in Washington than congressmen, so you know, we’re pretty suspicious about that.

So in other words once again you’re seeing possibility a bad activity justified by the greater good. The greater good is to protect these other health policies that they really believe in and they feel for it. As I try to intimate to me is the sure way is to lose the public’s trust is to keep pushing this practice long after it can be justified scientifically. Um, so they need to do better if that is their calculation, they do better if they come out clean. I sometimes say ‘look’ and you can take it or leave it or this is just a way I can pitch it right.

It’s like defending a medieval castle. The medieval castle has an outer perimeter, an inner perimeter, a moat, a drawbridge and a castle. And a King in the castle. So what’s the analogy? The outer perimeter is fluoridation, the inner perimeter is vaccination. Pull up the drawbridge and defend the castle. And the castle is orthodox medicine; one pill for the pharmaceutical industry for every ailment, and of course the King here is the pharmaceutical industry and their control of modern medicine. That’s why I think they may take a special delight in attacking chiropractors, people that practice alternative medicine, it’s all part of the same thing of protecting orthodoxy. And as I say, the first battle, as they see it, is protecting fluoridation. They see the floodgates opening as we crazy lunatic people come out and attack all their other precious practices.”

It seems Connett is ignoring that globally, the alternative medicine industry is estimated to be worth some $60 billion a year according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That is a lot to pay for placebos.

You can listen to the full clip of that question. I apologise for the low sound quality.

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Tooth decay is harming children in a fluoridated area?!

Dr Paul Connett’s NZ talk on fluoridation