February 23rd, 2016 Fluoride and Public Health
Contributed by: Brittany Seymour, DDS, MPH, with acknowledgements to Janice Cho and Brittanie Dillon We may not have consensus on the definition of social justice, or how to achieve it, but certainly we can agree what’s transgressed in Flint, Michigan is a true mark of social injustice. Over a decade ago, financial crises paved the […]
January 26th, 2016 Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, What the Experts Say about Fluoride
Although most attempts to end community water fluoridation (CWF) fail, these challenges continue to arise. Over the past 12 months, critics have attacked the practice in a number of communities — from Denver, Colorado to Collier County, Florida. Fortunately, the scientific evidence is on our side. But is that enough? Sometimes the science is enough […]
July 8th, 2015 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride, Oral Health, and Access to Care
Contributed by Qadira Ali Huff, MD, MPH Overview- Why This Matters: A picture-perfect smile falls just out of reach for many children living in poverty. Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood disease, and the burden of dental caries falls disproportionately on low-income and minority children (Dye et al. 2012). Children living in poverty […]
February 3rd, 2015 Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride, Oral Health, and Access to Care
Most people don’t know that a leading cause for why recruits in both World War I and II were rejected from serving in the military was a lack of teeth. And, if asked to take a guess, many of us might venture that people’s teeth aren’t nearly as bad today. And they’d be right. But […]
April 10th, 2014 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health
Among the many sound reasons to support fluoridation, there is one that is trumpeted less frequently than the others, perhaps because it sounds – well – pretty radical: community water fluoridation (CWF) is a powerful weapon in the fight for social justice and health equity. Evidence Supports Benefits of Fluoridation Anti-fluoridation activists frequently argue that […]
November 25th, 2013 Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride Dangers, What the Experts Say about Fluoride
In October 2012, Environmental Health Perspectives published an article entitled “Developmental Fluoride Neurotoxicity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” that noted “the possibility of an adverse effect of high fluoride exposure on children’s neurodevelopment.” Anti-fluoride groups often cite this finding out of context. Here are four important observations that the Campaign for Dental Health research team […]
May 6th, 2013 Fluoride and Public Health
A memorandum issued in March 2013 by a senior official with the U.S. Department of Defense outlines plans to ensure that all military personnel have access to fluoridated water. The memo reports that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs “has determined that providing optimally fluoridated water at DoD installations helps to improve and […]
April 16th, 2013 Fluoride and Public Health, What the Experts Say about Fluoride
Opponents of fluoridation make a long list of claims about fluoridated water, but they don’t reflect the scientific evidence that has been gathered over the years. For example, anti-fluoride groups try to create fear among the public by asserting that the fluoride additives used in fluoridation are dangerous because they contain arsenic. But, according to […]
March 22nd, 2013 Fluoride and Public Health, What the Experts Say about Fluoride
Anti-fluoride activists continue to circulate a set of studies from China and other foreign countries, claiming that fluoride lowers IQ scores in children. Those studies have serious flaws, and they are also countered by a peer-reviewed U.S. study from 2009. Dr Gary Whitford of the Georgia Health Sciences University was a co-author of that 2009 […]
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