American dentists are reacting to President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as well being secretary. Kennedy, a vocal critic of water fluoridation, has linked it to well being dangers.
Republican Consultant and former dentist Mike Simpson joked that eliminating fluoride in water can be “good for the dental occupation,” including, “Much more cavities to fill.”
“You recognize, fluoride in water has been probably the greatest innovations of all time. It’s been probably the greatest and probably the most selfless,” Simpson advised The Bulwark.
Trump introduced Thursday he’ll nominate Kennedy as well being secretary, a vocal critic of water fluoridation, linking it to well being dangers.
Kennedy posted on social media, suggesting the president-elect would help ending water fluoridation if Trump received the election. He described fluoride as an “industrial waste” and linked it to numerous well being points, together with arthritis, bone fractures, bone most cancers, diminished IQ, neurodevelopmental problems, and thyroid illness.
Kennedy, a distinguished anti-vaccine activist, holds controversial views on public well being. His stance on vaccines raises query about his capacity to get confirmed, even in a GOP-controlled Senate.
“For too lengthy, People have been crushed by the commercial meals complicated and drug firms which have engaged in deception, misinformation and disinformation about public well being,” Trump wrote Thursday on his Reality Social platform. He stated Kennedy would “finish the persistent illness epidemic” and “Make America Nice and Wholesome Once more.”
Trump stated Kennedy would goal dangerous medicine, meals components and chemical compounds.
Kennedy’s nomination has alarmed public well being officers. Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, advised The Related Press, “I don’t wish to go backwards and see kids or adults endure or lose their lives to remind us that vaccines work, and so I’m involved.”
The fluoride debate
In the meantime, there was an ongoing debate within the U.S. whether or not native governments ought to proceed including fluoride to consuming water to stop tooth decay.
In early October, the American Dental Affiliation (ADA) reaffirmed its help for “optimum ranges” of fluoride in group water. This endorsement aligns with these of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC. The ADA’s assertion got here after a Cochrane Library evaluation of 157 research recommended that the advantages of water fluoridation might have diminished because of the widespread use of fluoride toothpaste.
Just lately, the Florida-based Worldwide Academy of Oral Medication and Toxicology (IAOMT), which advocates for science-based organic dentistry, highlighted the Cochrane evaluation. In response to the IAOMT, Cochrane discovered inadequate proof that water fluoridation reduces dental well being disparities between revenue teams.
“As soon as once more, the scientific literature reveals that fluoride shouldn’t be solely dangerous but additionally ineffective. It’s previous time for dental professionals to embrace different, extra significant methods to fight tooth decay which might be efficient and non-toxic,” stated IAOMT president Dr. Yuko Torigoe.
Nevertheless, IAOMT shouldn’t be broadly thought of a mainstream scientific group. The group has additionally lobbied towards the usage of dental amalgam fillings, citing considerations about mercury content material.
(With information from the Canadian Press)