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Retired Dentist Distorts Fluoridation Facts

A retired local dentist wrote (2/14) to the Rutland Herald in support of community water fluoridation, stating that the facts of the matter are today as they were in 2016, when he wrote a similar piece. Well, the facts have changed, but his misstatements and distortions have stayed the same.

 

Among the cracks, gaps, and low blows in his arguments:

 

While accusing fluoridation critics of scare tactics (i.e., the way we talk about harmful side effects of fluoride), Dr. Dick uses exactly those tactics. He warns of the dire consequences of ending fluoridation, namely, increasing tooth decay. 

 

This alarmist claim is directly contradicted by the authoritative Cochrane Review of 2015. The Review is often referred to as a “gold standard” in evidence-based reviews of health science. The Review stated, “There is insufficient information to determine the effect of stopping water fluoridation programs on caries levels.”

 

Dr. Dick urges us to “look at the bona fide research.” Presumably that would include three studies funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Bashash, 2017; Green, 2019; and Till, 2019), all showing IQ loss associated with fluoride exposure of the pregnant mother or through baby formula.

 

Dr. Dick again, as in 2016, says he “never saw a case of fluorosis in my Rutland patients.” He is talking about the white-spotting and staining of teeth, often called “dental fluorosis.” Many of us have seen this condition in people we meet. Dental fluorosis is in fact the most clear-cut and documented side effect of fluoride overexposure. Note that in 2015 the U.S. Public Health Service reduced the recommended level of fluoride in fluoridated water systems to .7 parts per million from a range of .7 to 1.2 ppm. One of the reasons cited was the “prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis.”

Charter Change Vote Set for March 5
 

     With the submission of 562 signatures, supporters of a charter change to prohibit addition of fluoride to the city water supply have secured a place on the ballot for the Annual Meeting in Rutland City. The proposed change would prevent the addition of fluoride to the city water supply.

     Two public hearings were held, on Jan. 29 and 31. The first was recorded by PEG TV and can be viewed on PEG's website under the Video on Demand section. As a longtime critic of fluoridation, Rutland Fluoride Action urges a "Yes" vote to end the practice of fluoridation, in effect in Rutland for the last 40 years.

Signature Drive for Charter Change

To Ban Fluoridation in Rutland Nears Goal 

     The photo below shows the 45 petition sheets collected as of Nov. 4, 2023, to make a change in the Rutland City Charter. The petitions collected to date contain about 675 signatures. About 600 signatures are needed to get the measure on the March 5, 2024, ballot. The  petitions will be submitted to the Rutland City Clerk when a sufficient "cushion" has been obtained to allow for names disallowed (name not on the checklist, for example).

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