Now That’s Something to Smile About
Written by admin, March 20, 2015
March 20, 2015 – Public Health Recognizes World Oral Health Day by Celebrating Good Science
In celebration of World Oral Health Day today, Peterborough Public Health is promoting the legacy of solid scientific research behind fluoride in community water supplies.
“There is an impressive foundation of quality research that has long established community water fluoridation as safe, effective, and one of the best ways to protect the oral health of our most vulnerable residents,” said Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health. “Unfortunately there is a small but vocal minority who try to confuse the public about fluoride with obscure, non-peer reviewed studies that use poor scientific methodology. This World Oral Health Day we want to showcase quality research so residents know what to look for if they’re searching online for fluoride information.”
Dr. Salvaterra says fluoridated water is continually studied and continually shown to be safe and effective. She points to a study published in the January 2015 issue of the American Journal of Public Health entitled Community Water Fluoridation and Intelligence: Prospective Study in New Zealand that followed a population for 35 years and found there was no validity to the assertion that fluoride affects people’s IQ. “This is such a well-designed and strong study, given that it is a prospective cohort and the follow-up was so long,” said Dr. Salvaterra. “Moreover, these findings held after adjusting for potentially confounding variables such as urban and rural status.”
To learn more, visit www.ilikemyteeth.org or click here.
Dr. Salvaterra encourages residents seeking quality fluoride information to visit websites of credible, professional dental health organizations, such as the Canadian Dental Association, Health Canada, and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. These are easily accessed from Public Health’s fluoride webpage found on www.peterboroughpublichealth.ca.
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For further information, please contact:
Brittany Cadence
Communications Supervisor
705-743-1000, ext. 391