The opposition to Measure A, the clean water initiative, has made the charge that proponents of this measure are outsiders. Projecting much? It is they who have brought in the outsiders, the California Dental Association, with their big money and big lies, trying to defeat a very small coalition of four local women who care about the health of their community. Del Norte Clean Water Coalition is a grassroots movement of local residents who have lived here many years and who have done the research beyond the political rhetoric of the dental associations. We use our own limited funds to run our campaign. We are trying to educate the public on the most recent findings of the scientific community regarding water fluoridation.
I’ve been asked many times why the dental association would protect water fluoridation in light of the evidence of harm, especially to the children they claim to be protecting. Keep in mind that the American Dental Association, along with the California branch who is funding the opposition are trade associations. They do none of their own research, and matters of toxicology and physiology outside of teeth are not within their purview as dentists.
So why do they defend the practice of water fluoridation? Think of the tobacco companies’ great efforts to debunk the claims of scientists and doctors that cigarette smoking is hazardous to your health and causes cancer. It’s a matter of liability. Dentists and other health agencies have proclaimed for many decades that water fluoridation is safe. For them to suddenly concede that it is harmful could open them up to lawsuits.
Another matter is financial. According to the American Dental Association, dentists make 17% more profit in fluoridated areas as opposed to non-fluoridated areas. (Journal of the American Dental Association; 84:355-67, 1972) It costs a lot more to do cosmetic restoration caused by dental fluorosis than to fill a simple cavity. It is also known that fluoride delays permanent tooth eruption which is a cause of misaligned teeth, calling for the need for braces, also more expensive than filling a cavity.
So when the opponents of Measure A make claims about outsiders trying to tell us what to do, remember it is big lobby money talking. Remember that Measure A is a grassroots movement funded by local citizens who care about their community and want to bring Crescent City into the 21st Century regarding the current science on water fluoridation. Remember, it’s your water and the California Dental Association does not have to live with the consequences of their actions here in our little town. Measure A is about clean, safe water for us all.
