Give Kids Their Smiles Back - Stop Fluoridation
NYSCOF
celebrate "Give-Kids-A-Smile" day, (GKAS), with much self-promotion
and merchandising. This year it's February 2. But for the rest of the
year, most dentists refuse children on Medicaid or other government-
sponsored insurance (1).
Instead, dentistry promotes water fluoridation to remedy tooth decay
disparities between haves and have-nots.
Unfortunately, that's failing:
New York State Department of Health statistics (2) illustrate
fluoridation's inability to equalize cavity rates between low and high
socio-economic-status (SES) groups, and that fluoridation and tooth
decay rates are not inversely related (3) See chart: http://
www.freewebs.com/fluoridation/chart.htm
For example, non-fluoridated Nassau, Suffolk and Rockland Counties'
third-graders decay rates: 50%, 54% and 46%, respectively. In
slightly fluoridated Albany County 38% have cavities.
Highly fluoridated NYS Counties include Monroe, Erie, Chemung, Broome,
Wayne and Jefferson. Third-graders decay rates: 56%, 59%, 55%, 63%,66%,
66% and 69%, respectively..
Despite fluoridated water reaching about ¾ of New Yorkers, 54% of
third-graders have cavities and more untreated decay than third-
graders nationally (33% vs 26%). Only one-fourth of NYS dentists
submitted Medicaid claims (4).
Third-graders in 100% fluoridated New York City had more untreated
cavities (38%) than their state and national counterparts (4).
Before organized dentistry became fluoride fixated, a 1950 Connecticut
study, before fluoridation, clearly linked more fruit, vegetable and
milk consumption to less cavities (5) Dentist Weston Price reported a
similar correlation world-wide in his 1938 book, "Nutrition and
Physical Degeneration."
Today Connecticut mandates fluoridation. Yet 48% of 4-year-olds suffer
untreated cavities (6) partially because 85% of dentists won't or
can't treat patients with low-paying government-sponsored insurance
(7).
After 60 years of water fluoridation reaching 2/3 of Americans via
public water supplies, virtually 100% via the food supply and
fluoridated dental products a multi-billion dollar international
business, up to ½ of U.S. schoolchildren sport fluoride overdose
symptoms as dental fluorosis - white spotted, yellow or brown,
sometimes pitted teeth (8) But tooth decay is still a national
epidemic, especially among low-income Americans who can't find
dentists willing or able to fix their rotting teeth.
Regardless of fluoride intake, modern science continues to show that
young children with fewer cavities eat more produce (9). Only 12% of
US kids eat enough fruits and vegetables.(10) And, the poor are priced
out of healthful eating. (10a)
"Will dentists hand out food vouchers and dietary advice on GKAS Day
or just more fluoride?" asks Paul Beeber, President, New York State
Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation. "It's not all about avoiding sugar
as most dentists preach," says Beeber.
"With fluorosis rampant, dentists could make more kids smile by
stopping fluoridation," says Beeber
Dental Health Aide Therapists (DHATs) could be the solution to the
oral health crisis. DHATs are to dentists what Physician's Assistants
and Nurse Practitioners are to Physicians. DHATs work successfully
throughout the world and can drill, fill and pull teeth in the mouths
and geographic areas where dentists can't or won't go, more cheaply
and as effectively. (11)
Unfortunately, organized dentistry is suing to stop the first New
Zealand trained U.S. DHAT from supplying much-needed care in Alaska
where officials are unable to entice dentists to live or work. (12a)
Defying organized dentistry, the first U.S. school just opened in
Alaska to train more DHATs (12)
Children need dental care not more fluoride. In fluoridated
Arlington, Texas, 61 percent of children examined had active decay
After dentists donated their services, tooth decay was cut to less
than half what it was when the program started.(13)
Nationally, up to 48% of poor children, 8-year-olds and under, have
unfilled cavities, whether their water is fluoridated or not. (13a).
Fluoride varnish is now used on children as soon as teeth emerge.
Fluoride varnish contains a highly toxic 22,600 parts per million
(ppm) fluoride (14) compared to one ppm in fluoridated drinking water
that's not advised for under one-year-old babies (15) and 1,000 ppm in
toothpaste that's not to be used by children less than two years old.
(16)
"Fluoride. It just doesn't make sense anymore," says Beeber..
Contact:
Paul Beeber, Esq. nys...@aol.com
New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc
PO Box 263
Old Bethpage, NY 11804
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
http://www.FluorideAction.Net
http://www.FluorideResearch.Org
References:
More evidence that fluoridation fails New York State:
http://fluoridedangers.blogspot.com/2005/12/fluoridation-fails-new-
york-state.html
(1) U.S. Dep't of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, "Dental Care Improving Access and Quality"
http://www.ahrq.gov/research/dentalcare/dentria.htm#poor
And
U.S. General Accounting Organization, "Oral Health Factors
Contributing to Low Use of Dental Services by Low-Income Populations,"
September 2000
http://www.gao.gov/archive/2000/he00149.pdf
(2) New York State Department of Health, Community Health Assessment
Indicators (Oral Health) http://www.health.state.ny.us/statistics/chac/
chai/index.htm
(3) Fluoridation rate of NYS Counties provided by Tim Cook, DDS,
former NYS Dep't of Health employee
(4) The Impact of Oral Disease in New York State," New York State
Department of Health, Bureau of Dental Health, December 2006, Green et
al (page 8)
http://www.nyhealth.gov/prevention/dental/docs/
impact_of_oral_disease.pdf )
(5) Potgieter, M., Morse, E.H., Erlenbach, F. M., and Dall, R.: The
food habits and dental status of some Connecticut children. J. Dent.
Res., 35:638. 1956
http://tinyurl.com/2lagfg
(6) Connecticut State Department of Public Health, "Open Wide
Curriculum - Lesson 1: Dental Decay," http://www.dph.state.ct.us/bch/
oralhealth/publications_reports/openwide_curriculum/OW_Lesson_1.pdf
(7) "Elements of effective action to improve oral health & access to
dental care for Connecticut's children & families," Commissioned by
Connecticut Health Foundation and Children's Fund of Connecticut,
Prepared by James J. Crall, DDS, ScD and Burton L. Edelstein DDS, MPH
(page 4)
http://www.cthealth.org/matriarch/documents/oralhealthsum.pdf
(8) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/figures/s403a1t23.gif
(9) "The relationship between healthful eating practices and dental
caries in children aged 2-5 years in the United States, 1988-94," J.
Am Dent Assoc, January 2004, by Dye et al.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?
db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=14959875&query_hl=1&
itool=pubmed_docsum
(10) "U.S. Kids' Health Habits Put Them at Risk," Healthscout.com, Jan
26, 2007 http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/601319/main.html
(10a) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0129-06.htm
(11) http://www.anthc.org/cs/chs/dhs/
(12) http://www.anthc.org/cs/chs/dhs/upload/UAATheNothernLight-
DentalDebateGoesToCourt_2-21-06_AFleming.pdf
(12b) http://www.adn.com/front/story/8566500p-8459175c.html
(13) http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/16566335.htm
(13a)http://drc.hhs.gov/report/dqs_tables/dqs_1_1_1.htm
(14)
http://www.colgateprofessional.com/app/ColgateProfessional/US/EN/
Products/ProductItems/ColgateDuraphat.cvsp
(15) http://groups.google.com/group/Fluoridation-News-Releases/
browse_thread/thread/51981fb711662057