USA - More cavaties, less benefits

More cavaties, less benefits
The July 1 editorial Look Mom - No Cavities, is an assumption based on clever marketing without benefit of boring research which is just a google away. It should read "Look Ma - Even More Cavities."Despite five decades of water fluoridation, Chicago children have dismal oral health records with 59% of third-graders experiencing tooth decay and 32% of it unfilled, according to the Illinois Department of Health.We're made to believe that fluoridation equalizes decay rates between low and high socio-economic groups, but it doesn't. Sixty-four percent of Illinois third-graders receiving free school lunch have cavities compared to only 46% who can afford to pay.Fluoridation is state-mandated in Illinois. Yet, 70% of Spanish-speaking-only children have cavities compared to 50% of English-speaking-only children.Tooth decay crises occur in all our fluoridated cities and states, but not from lack of fluoride. America's school children are fluoride-overdosed according to the Centers for Disease Control, because 80% of dentists refuse to treat Medicaid patients and 108 million Americans lack dental insurance."There are 102 counties in Illinois, but the three counties with the most dental licenses account for 84 percent of all dentists," reports the Illinois Department of HealthPeople in America are dying from tooth decay because they can't find or afford a dentist to treat their dental disease.Fluoridation schemes divert attention from what really needs to be done - mandate dentists to treat more Medicaid patients. If not, allow other viable groups to fill their void such as Dental Therapists which are two or three year trained individuals who have worked for decades in developed countries as effectively and as safely as dentists.Organized dentistry lobby against Dental Therapists and for fluoridation using loads of PAC money and political capital. Who do you really believe benefits from fluoridation?--Carol S. KopfLevittown, NY