A group of dental and medical professionals have created the American Fluoridation Society (AFS) to counter misinformation about community water fluoridation efforts. While community water fluoridation is hailed by health, medical, and scientific groups, antifluoride groups are disseminating misinformation to the public. The AFS is aimed at debunking these myths and promoting the evidence of fluoridation’s safety and benefit to public health, including the reduction in tooth decay rates.
The AFS intends to build a coalition of health professionals across multiple disciplines, as well as parents and others who support the community fluoridation, and will provide testimony and technical assistance to state and local communities wanting to start fluoridation or seeking to defend existing programs.
“AFS will be active both online and on the ground,” said Johnny Johnson, DMD, a pediatric dentist in Palm Harbor, Fla, and president of the society, in a press release. “In Pinellas County, Florida—where I live—a handful of people worked behind the scenes to circulate a lot of inaccurate information, and health professionals were caught off guard when a vote was taken to stop fluoridation. Eventually, we were able to reverse that decision, but no community should have to go through that experience.”
AFS has received a grant from the Delta Dental Foundation of California.
