Children Need Dentists - NOT Fluoridation,
Study ShowsFrom New York State
Coalition Opposed to FluoridationSunday, July 13, 2003 Despite living without fluoridated water, rural
children's cavity rates equal those of urban children, who are
more likely to drink fluoridated water, according to a large
national government study of over 24,000 U.S. children, ages
2- to 17-year-old.(1)
Poor children, whether from rural
or urban areas, are more likely to have cavities and least
likely to find dentists willing to fill those cavities, report
researchers Vargas et al. in the Summer 2003 Journal of Rural
Health(1).
Researchers, surprised by fluoridation's
apparent ineffectiveness write, "The lack of difference in
caries (cavities) prevalence between rural and urban children
is puzzling..., children residing in rural areas are more
likely than urban children to use well water which usually has
a low fluoride content," report Vargas and
colleagues
"Differences were present by poverty status;
poor children aged 2 - 10 years have double the mean number of
teeth with caries experience compared with non-poor children,"
they write.
"In both rural and urban areas, poor
children were more than twice as likely to have untreated
decay," the authors reveal.
(Fluoridation) "is not
feasible for most rural areas because of small water treatment
plants or dependence on well water." the authors report. Rural
areas are defined by the Bureau of Census as areas with less
than 2500 inhabitants.
"This doesn't surprise us," says
lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition
Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc. "Cavity rates decline equally in
fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities and countries
along with the rise in better overall nutrition and health,"
he said. "Over 66% of US citizens drink fluoridated water yet
tooth decay is an epidemic among our poorer populations, most
of whom drink fluoridated water and can't afford to buy
non-fluoridated bottled water," he said.
Tooth decay is
a symptom of poverty and/or poor nutrition not fluoridation
status. Fluoride is non-essential to cavity-free teeth, and
should never be in anyone's water supply.
Most
legislators want to believe that water fluoridation is an
innocuous, simple, cheap and politically correct way to tackle
poor children's tooth decay. But, by avoiding the complexity
involved in finding and/or paying dentists to actually treat
the poor, legislators ignore the real problem.
Diet is
the only consistent difference between those with and those
without cavities. Fluoride makes no difference if a child goes
to bed hungry everyday. Fluoride makes no difference if a
child's belly is satisfied with cheap chips and soda because
fresh produce is too expensive. Fluoride makes no difference
when middle class children sip sodas and eat junk food every
day.
Reference: Journal of Rural
Health, Summer 2003, "Oral Health Status of Children and
Adolescents by Rural Residence, United States."
by Clemencia M. Vargas, DDS, PhD; Cynthia R. Ronzio, PhD;
and Kathy L. Hayes, DMD,
MPH |