While Chicago children suffer with dental pain, limousines delivered dignitaries to a large white tent, ringed with yellow-shirted security guards, where dentists and others, on government payrolls, kicked off a four-day 60th birthday party for water fluoridation replete with ice sculptures, free duffle bags, food and specially made fluoridated bottled water, on July 13, 2005, in Chicago's Millennium Park, hosted by the American Dental Association (ADA) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Attendees came, from many states and 7 foreign countries, for continuing education credits, to learn political fluoridation strategy and/or for a free trip to Chicago. But first they had to pass through protesters handing out a timely Washington Post article entitled, "Professor at Harvard Is Being Investigated -- Fluoride-Cancer Link May Have Been Hidden," published on July 13, 2005.(1)
Despite sixty years of fluoridation delivered to 2/3 of Americans via their water supply and 100% via the food supply, the U.S. Surgeon General declared tooth decay a national epidemic in 2000.
"Fluoridation is hardly anything to celebrate, " says lawyer Paul Beeber, NYSCOF President. "Time and money spent celebrating fluoridation for four days, including out-of-towners hotel and other expenses, could have actually filled many cavities in Chicago's poor," says Beeber.
NYSCOF joined the Fluoride Action Network's protest to educate Chicago residents, legislators and fluoridation party-goers that fluoridation is ineffective, harmful and a waste of money.
Chicago, fluoridated since 1956, in Illinois where fluoridation is state-mandated, has a serious dental health problem. Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn said, "Dental disease in Illinois students has reached epidemic proportions," because few dentists take Medicaid or KidsCare payments. (2) Only one fourth of Chicago dentists accept patients covered by government-funded insurance because payment is too low.
According to the Illinois Public Health Department, 38% of 6 to 8-year- olds and 30% of 15-year-olds live with untreated tooth decay. Despite fluoridation, 33% of 3-year-olds have cavities.(3)
On July 14, while the ADA celebrated fluoridation as a cavity remedy for the poor, the ADA also lobbied in Washington against Dental Health Aide Therapists (DHATs) -- a viable solution for the dentist-neglected poor.(4)
DHAT's drill, fill and pull rotted teeth in people and places where dentists won't go. DHAT'S, with advanced dental hygienist degrees, work successfully in many countries. Studies show their work is as efficient but less costly then dentists'.
"We believe the ADA's main priority is to protect dentist-members lucrative monopoly," says Beeber. "And fluoridation campaigns provide organized dentistry with political viability to get more perks for dentists from our legislators. Fluoridation does not help the poor."
Eighty percent of dentists refuse Medicaid patients.(5)
References:
(1) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05206/543465.stm
(2) http://www.oralhealthamerica.org/news/042004.html
(3) http://www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/BurdenDocument.pdf
(4) http://www.ada.org/prof/advocacy/test_dhat.asp
(5) http://silk.nih.gov/public/hck1ocv.@www.surgeon.fullrpt.pdf
Paul Beeber, Esq, President and General Counsel, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof
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