Page 1790 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 18 October 1989

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a home for its poisonous industrial waste, fluoride, in the drinking water.

In 1951 the keynote speaker at the US State Dental Director's Conference was Francis Bull. Bull told his dental colleagues how to sell fluoridation and dispose of opposition. Were the minutes of this meeting not available his statements would be unbelievable. He suggested they use the term "egg-shell white teeth" for mottled (fluoride poisoned) teeth; and to use "fluoride" instead of sodium fluoride, because the compound was widely known as a rat poison. Bull continued, "The question of TOXICITY ... lay off it altogether ... just pass it over ... If you can, keep them from going to a referendum ... these fellows can just take the statements of the American Dental Association or the Public Health Service or the Deans of the Dental Schools or Research Workers and they can prove to you that we are absolutely crazy for even thinking about fluoridation".

In commenting on the total lack of supportive evidence for artificial fluoridation, Bull suggested, "Speak of fluoridation as a great success, and recommend the pre-fluoridation surveys be made at State level, but not really to find out if fluoridation works. NO, WE HAVE TOLD THE PUBLIC THAT IT WORKS, SO WE CAN'T GO BACK ON THAT".

In 1951, Oscar Ewing persuaded the Congress to give $2 million (a huge sum in 1951) to promote artificial fluoridation.

If you are starting to think there is a great deal more to the fluoridation story than the Australian Dental Association and our Government ever let you know about, read on.

In 1953 the American Dental Association issued an official booklet which was circulated widely throughout the US. Under the title, Downgrading the Public Image of Opponents of Fluoridation dentists were advised to label opponents into certain categories: drugless healers, members of religious groups, those with vested political or financial reasons, and obscure scientists. Denigrating opponents in advance effectively silenced all but the brave. For who would now speak against fluoridating in the face of professional ridicule.

The ADA's booklet told dentists not to defend themselves at public meetings but to refute objections by saying they are: out of date, obtained from little-known lay magazines or encyclopaedias, based on incorrect and ill-chosen


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