Dentist who helped to bring about fluoridation dies at 104
Dentist added fluoride to water
Associated Press
Article Launched: 02/26/2007 09:21:25 PM PST
LAGUNA HILLS - David B. Ast, a New York dentist who helped show the effectiveness of fluoridated drinking water in preventing tooth decay, has died. He was 104.
Ast died Feb. 3 of heart failure at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, where he had lived for several decades, according to his daughter, Jill Michtom. In 1944, Ast began a 10-year study of fluoridation that bolstered the use of fluoride in public drinking water to prevent tooth decay.
He selected two towns of similar size along the Hudson River, Newburgh and Kingston, and compared the health and dental records of their residents. During the study, Newburgh's water was treated with fluoride compounds, while Kingston's water was not.
The results showed that children in Newburgh had a 60 percent reduction in numbers of cavities between the ages of 6 and 9, and a nearly 70 percent reduction in cavities by the time they reached ages 12 to 14. Moreover, the study found no significant difference in the incidence of cancer, birth defects and heart or kidney disease between the two towns.
The use of fluoride in Newburgh was subsequently used as a landmark case study for other municipalities in New York State.
Associated Press
Article Launched: 02/26/2007 09:21:25 PM PST
LAGUNA HILLS - David B. Ast, a New York dentist who helped show the effectiveness of fluoridated drinking water in preventing tooth decay, has died. He was 104.
Ast died Feb. 3 of heart failure at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, where he had lived for several decades, according to his daughter, Jill Michtom. In 1944, Ast began a 10-year study of fluoridation that bolstered the use of fluoride in public drinking water to prevent tooth decay.
He selected two towns of similar size along the Hudson River, Newburgh and Kingston, and compared the health and dental records of their residents. During the study, Newburgh's water was treated with fluoride compounds, while Kingston's water was not.
The results showed that children in Newburgh had a 60 percent reduction in numbers of cavities between the ages of 6 and 9, and a nearly 70 percent reduction in cavities by the time they reached ages 12 to 14. Moreover, the study found no significant difference in the incidence of cancer, birth defects and heart or kidney disease between the two towns.
The use of fluoride in Newburgh was subsequently used as a landmark case study for other municipalities in New York State.
posted by Bill at
9:55 AM
1 Comments:
Ah well we all have to front up to the creator when we die... I would like to be a fly on the wall or gatepost. NO disrespect intended
By
Middle Child, at 28 February, 2007
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