Dentists Party Where Children Suffer
NYSCOF
NEW YORK, July 27 -- While Chicago children suffer with dental pain,
limousines delivered dignitaries to a large white tent, ringed with
yellow-shirted security guards, where dentists and others, on
government payrolls, kicked off a four-day 60th birthday party for
water fluoridation replete with ice sculptures, free duffle bags, food
and specially made fluoridated bottled water, on July 13, 2005, in
Chicago's Millennium Park, hosted by the American Dental Association
(ADA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), reports the New
York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation (NYSCOF).
Attendees came, from many states and 7 foreign countries, for
continuing education credits, to learn political fluoridation strategy
and/or for a free trip to Chicago. But first they had to pass through
protesters handing out a timely Washington Post article entitled,
"Professor at Harvard Is Being Investigated -- Fluoride-Cancer Link May
Have Been Hidden," published on July 13, 2005.(1)
Despite sixty years of fluoridation delivered to 2/3 of Americans via
their water supply and 100% via the food supply, the U.S. Surgeon
General declared tooth decay a national epidemic in 2000.
"Fluoridation is hardly anything to celebrate, " says lawyer Paul
Beeber, NYSCOF President. "Time and money spent celebrating
fluoridation for four days, including out-of-towners hotel and other
expenses, could have actually filled many cavities in Chicago's poor,"
says Beeber
NYSCOF joined the Fluoride Action Network's protest to educate Chicago
residents, legislators and fluoridation party-goers that fluoridation
is ineffective, harmful and a waste of money.
Chicago, fluoridated since 1956, in Illinois where fluoridation is
state-mandated, has a serious dental health problem. Lieutenant
Governor Pat Quinn said, "Dental disease in Illinois students has
reached epidemic proportions," because few dentists take Medicaid or
KidsCare payments. (2) Only one fourth of Chicago dentists accept
patients covered by government-funded insurance because payment is too
low.
According to the Illinois Public Health Department, 38% of 6 to 8-year-
olds and 30% of 15-year-olds live with untreated tooth decay. Despite
fluoridation, 33% of 3-year-olds have cavities.(3)
On July 14, while the ADA celebrated fluoridation as a cavity remedy
for the poor, the ADA also lobbied in Washington against Dental Health
Aide Therapists (DHATs) -- a viable solution for the dentist-neglected
poor.(4)
DHAT's drill, fill and pull rotted teeth in people and places where
dentists won't go. DHAT'S, with advanced dental hygienist degrees, work
successfully in many countries. Studies show their work is as efficient
but less costly then dentists'.
"We believe the ADA's main priority is to protect dentist-members
lucrative monopoly," says Beeber. "And fluoridation campaigns provide
organized dentistry with political viability to get more perks for
dentists from our legislators. Fluoridation does not help the poor."
Eighty percent of dentists refuse Medicaid patients.(5)
References:
(1) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05206/543465.stm
(2) http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/news/042004.html
(3)
http://www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/BurdenDocument.pdf
(4) http://www.ada.org/prof/advocacy/test_dhat.asp
(5) http://silk.nih.gov/public/hck1ocv.@www.surgeon.fullrpt.pdf
Contact: Paul Beeber, President and General Counsel
nys...@aol.com
New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
PO Box 263
Old Bethpage, NY 11804
Source: New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof