FAN Bulletin 812

June 10, 2007

Dear All,

This bulletin follows up on the bulletin #810 distributed earlier today.

In a recent article published in Caries Research, pro-fluoridation
researchers have provided more evidence that fluoridated water does little
to protect the teeth of poor children. In this study by Burt et al. (2006)
the authors studied over 1000 children in Detroit which has been fluoridated
since the 1950¹s. They found that:

>  ³Caries was extensive, with 82.3% of the 1,021 participants (n = 839) having
> at least one cavitated lesion. Nearly three quarters of the adult participants
> were overweight or obese. This population had severe caries, poor oral
> hygiene, and diets that are high in sugars and fats and low in fruits and
> vegetables. Apart from tap water, the most frequently consumed food item by
> adults of all ages was soft drinks; 19% of all energy from sugar came from
> soft drinks alone. In both the bivariate analyses and in the regression model,
> frequency of soft drink consumption and the presence of gingival plaque
> deposits were significantly associated with caries. Interventions to promote
> oral health are unlikely to be successful without improvements in the social
> and physical environment.²

Of course, being funded by pro-fluoridation agencies, what the authors don¹t
admit to is that one of the ³interventions to promote oral health² which has
failed in Detroit is fluoridation. These researchers (unlike other
fluoridation promoters) are not able to blame this failure upon children
drinking more bottled water since the article makes clear that the main
source of the children¹s drinking water is fluoridated tap water.

Below I have printed the whole abstract of this paper, as well as a press
release on the article (and other accumulating evidence of fluoridation¹s
ineffectiveness) distributed by NYSCOF.

Paul Connett
———————————

Caries Res. 2006;40(6):473-80.

Dietary patterns related to caries in a low-income adult population.
Burt BA, Kolker JL, Sandretto AM, Yuan Y, Sohn W, Ismail AI.

Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2029, USA. bburt@umich.edu

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between dietary
patterns and caries experience in a representative group of low-income
African-American adults. Participants were residents of Detroit, Michigan,
with household incomes below 250% of the federally-established poverty level
(n = 1,021). Dietary histories were obtained by trained interviewers in
face-to-face interviews with the adult participants, using the Block 98.2
food frequency questionnaire. Caries was measured by the ICDAS criteria
(International Caries Detection and Assessment System). There were 200
dietary records whose data were judged to be invalid; these participants
were omitted from the dietary analyses to leave n = 821. Factor analysis
identified patterns of liquid and solid food consumption, and the resulting
factor scores were used as covariates in multivariable linear regression.
Caries was extensive, with 82.3% of the 1,021 participants (n = 839) having
at least one cavitated lesion. Nearly three quarters of the adult
participants were overweight or obese. This population had severe caries,
poor oral hygiene, and diets that are high in sugars and fats and low in
fruits and vegetables. Apart from tap water, the most frequently consumed
food item by adults of all ages was soft drinks; 19% of all energy from
sugar came from soft drinks alone. In both the bivariate analyses and in the
regression model, frequency of soft drink consumption and the presence of
gingival plaque deposits were significantly associated with caries.
Interventions to promote oral health are unlikely to be successful without
improvements in the social and physical environment.
————————-
NYSCOF press release, May 22, 2007

New York - May 22 — Even when fluoridated water is the most consumed
item, cavities are extensive when diets are poor, according to Caries
Research.(1)

Burt and colleagues studied low-income African-American adults, 14-
years-old and over, living in Detroit, Michigan, where water suppliers
add fluoride chemicals attempting to prevent cavities. Yet, 83% of this
population has severe tooth decay along with diets high in sugars and fats,
and low in fruits and vegetables.

“The most frequently reported food on a daily basis was tap water,”
write Burt’s research team. Second were soft drinks and third were
potato chips.

Tooth decay in fluoridated Detroit’s toddlers’ teeth is also
shocking.  Almost all of Detroit’s five-year-olds have cavities; most
of them go unfilled.(2)

Low-Income Americans are often priced out of healthy eating. (2a)

“Soda and chips are a cheap and accessible belly-filling meal,” says
lawyer Paul Beeber, President, New York State Coalition Opposed to
Fluoridation.  ”Fluoridation delivers only risks to poorly-fed
Americans without any benefits,” says Beeber.

“Interventions to promote oral health are unlikely to be successful
without improvements in the social and physical environment,” write
Burt et al.

Further evidence that fluoridation fails:

– In New York State, fluoridation has not leveled out decay rates
between haves and have-nots. Less cavities are not found in all
fluoridated NYS counties.(3)

– In Illinois, where fluoridation is state-mandated, 70% of Spanish-
speaking-only and 50% of English-speaking-only third-graders have
cavities.(4)

— A recent large federal government study shows that low-income
children’s primary tooth decay has spiked upwards. Non-poor children’s
primary decay rates were stable (5). “It’s possible that those who
drink free fluoridated tap water may actually have more cavities,”
says Beeber

– In fluoridated Anchorage, Alaska, sugar turned generations of the
healthiest teeth in the world into some of the worst. (6).

– Most fluoridated cities and states are experiencing tooth decay
crises. See:  http://www.fluoridenews.blogpsot.com

“Recent media reports blaming bottled water for cavity increases are
unscientific, illogical and deceptive,” says Beeber.

>From 1/3 to 1/2 of U.S. school children are fluoride overdosed and sport
dental fluorosis (fluoride discolored and/or pitted teeth). (7)

Excess fluoride leads to decayed teeth.(8)

“Fluoride is ineffective in non-healthy eaters and of no benefit to
healthy eaters,” says Beeber.

END

Contact: Paul Beeber, Esq.   nyscof@aol.com
President
New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, Inc.
PO Box 263
Old Bethpage, NY  11804

http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof

http://www.FluorideAction.Net

http://www.FluorideResearch.Org

References:

1) “Dietary Patterns Related to Caries in a Low-Income Adult
Population, Burt, et al., Caries Research 2006:40:473-480
mp;dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17063017&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_
docsum>

2)  http://snipurl.com/n8m2

2a) http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0129-06.htm

3) http://www.freewebs.com/fluoridation/chart.htm

4) http://www.voices4kids.org/KC07chap1.pdf

5) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_248.pdf  (Page 4; figure 2)

6) http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=6468677

7) http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/figures/s403a1t23.gif

8) http://fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/fluorosis/caries.html

All NYSCOF’s news releases are here:
http://groups.google.com/group/Fluoridation-News-Releases