July 31, 2013
Lumino takes swipe at fluoride alarmists
Dental chain Lumino, which has 73 practices around the country, has spoken out against the anti-fluoridation lobby.
Māori dentists have expressed concern that taking fluoride out of the water supply in cities like Hamilton will have a negative impact on Māori oral health, because whānau are less likely to take compensating action like switching to fluoridated toothpaste.
Now Lumino’s clinical advisory board says the evidence put up by the anti-fluoridation lobby wasn’t enough to counter the body of evidence that fluoridation is safe and brings public health benefits and quality of life advantages that cross all demographics.
It says anti-fluoridation lobbyists often quote research with little regard for context, validity or subsequent reviews that discounted it.
Lumino says city councillors have been too easily swayed by emotive language rather than science, and decisions about fluoridation should be made at central government level.
It says critics of fluoridation would be better to put their energy into addressing the effects of excess consumption of sugar on people’s teeth and their overall health and life expectancy.
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