F.A.N. Newsletter

Here is a good letter to the editor that appeared in Nova Scota's Cape Breton Post from Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH, (pictured above) explaining why he changed his mind on fluoridation, and why other public health professionals might want to reconsider the practice.

Making the printing of this letter more interesting is the editor's note in response to the attempted put-down of local activist Marlene Kane's well considered and science-based commentary by an ill-informed fluoridation promoter (Juliet Guichon, PhD) from Calgary. Too often Juliet Guichon flashes her PhD in ethics to assert authority on this issue when she has none. For those who believe in honest and courteous discourse on this issue, the editor's response was heartwarming. He or she writes:    

Criticism of Fluoridation Ban Call Has Provoked Reaction

Editor’s note: On May 27, the Cape Breton Post published a column by Sydney resident Marlene Kane which called for a ban on water fluoridation. On June 6, the Post published a letter from Juliet Guichon, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary, who called the ban fear mongering. This prompted a response from many* parts of the country…(*additional articles linked below)

Letter to the Editor

For my first 25 years as a dentist with a Masters Degree in Public Health, I promoted water fluoridation or fluoride supplements, as taught in school.

But reading the science myself over the next 17 years has been like a knee in the gut. Both my professions of dentistry and public health have been wrong, but we are changing.

A few reasons why dentistry and public health are reconsidering their support of fluoridation:

1. Too many are ingesting too much fluoride. Most children in the United States now have dental fluorosis, a biomarker of too much fluoride. Excess fluoride is harming many.

2. If a person wants more fluoride for their children, other sources of fluoride are available such as non-organic foods, fluoride toothpastes, fluoride medications, tea, grapes, fluoride supplements and more. Adding even more fluoride for everyone – those without teeth, those who have had too much fluoride, or those with chemical sensitivities – makes NO public health sense. Dental caries treatment is elective treatment, not a highly contagious life threatening disease.

3. The dosage of fluoride is not controlled. Not everyone drinks the same amount of water or ingests the same amount of fluoride from other sources.

4. We have no high quality studies of fluoridation’s effectiveness, safety or cost effectiveness. The research is mixed and controversial.

5. Current studies raise serious concerns for adverse effects and we have not even begun to seriously look at synergistic effects of different chemicals either for benefit or risk.

Good scientists do not simply trust other scientists. Circular referencing of our like-minded friends is more like gossip than science. Fluoridation is a house of cards, public health’s darkest hour and like most developed countries will soon be stopped. 

Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH   

Read all of the response letters published by the newspaper:

-Bill Osmunson, DDS, MPH

-Christine Massey, M.Sc.

-David Green

-David Donahue

#FluorideLawsuit Fundraiser Update

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All contributions are being matched dollar for dollar up to $100,000 by a generous donor, bringing our total to $105,848 on our way to raising $200,000 by mid-July. Thank you to all who have contributed directly to this unprecedented lawsuit.

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