CWF, the Internet, and Social Media
A special report published in the Journal of the Massachusetts Dental Society examined monthly traffic to major fluoridation websites for a 12 month period (June 2011 – May 2012) and found that opponents of community water fluoridation (CWF) dominate the internet and social media. The authors, Aaron Mertz, MA and Myron Allukian, DDS, MPH, looked at monthly website traffic to major CWF websites as well as the content of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Comparing search results for four major organizational websites, one anti-fluoridation and three pro, the analysis found a statistically significant level of traffic goes to the one anti-CWF site. A similar dominance was found on other social media outlets. They conclude that public health proponents need to enhance their presence on and use of the internet and social media to provide Americans with accurate information on the benefits of CWF.
