Fluoridation promoters often tout statistics claiming cavity rates went up in Calgary, Alberta;  Juneau, Alaska and Windsor, Ontario because they stopped fluoridating.

 

Here’s what they’re NOT telling you, which debunks arguments for all three:

 

Calgary

• A 2016 study (McLaren et al https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350616304656?via%3Dihub)  concluded that cavity rates in baby teeth (not permanent teeth) went up in children because Calgary ended fluoridation in 2011.

• But a 2017 academic commentary to the study (Neurath et al https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350616304656?via%3Dihub) showed that cavity rates were going up just as much before Calgary stopped fluoridating in 2011 as after.

• Stopping fluoridation made no difference whatsoever in the cavity rate increase.

 

Juneau

• A 2018 study (Meyer et al  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30545358/) concluded that cavity rates went up in children because Juneau ended fluoridation in 2006.

• But the study never measured cavity rates, only the increase in Medicaid-funded dental costs, claiming those increased costs represented an increase in cavities. The two are not the same.

• It never controlled for two major factors that could have accounted for all these increases in Medicaid use:

  • A large increase in the number of children enrolled in Medicaid

  • A large increase in Medicaid funding to dentists in 2008 and 2009, which increased the number of dentists accepting Medicaid patients

• In short, more kids + more dentists = more Medicaid costs for treatment of cavities, NOT more cavities.

 

Windsor

• A 2018 survey by Windsor-Essex County (https://www.wechu.org/reports/oral-health-2018-report) conducted by dental hygienists concluded that cavity rates went up in children because Windsor ended fluoridation in 2013.

• But numerous variables that contribute to cavity increases were never considered, including a large influx of low-income immigrants and refugees in the study period. Windsor experienced the worst average-income drop in Ontario, and low-income families are known to have higher cavity rates.

• The survey also said the percent of cavity-free children went down. But the percentage of cavity-free children decreased as much before Windsor ended fluoridation as after. Stopping fluoridation made no difference whatsoever.