AI Summary:

  • Utah is poised to ban fluoride in public water systems, pending the governor’s signature.
  • The bill prohibits adding fluoride to public water and repeals previous related laws.
  • Federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized fluoride, influencing the bill.
  • Studies on fluoride’s impact on children’s IQ have mixed results, with some showing negative effects and others showing no harm.
  • Major public health groups support fluoridation for dental health benefits.
  • The anti-fluoridation movement has gained popularity post-Covid-19.
  • Similar legislation is proposed in Florida, emphasizing the importance of consent in public health measures.
    • phdepressed@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      The Utah dental association was strongly against it. Dentists already make good money and most of them actually care about their patients health.

      Dental health is also strongly correlated with cardiovascular disease and other diseases.

      • Kanzar@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        Yeah I’m in dental myself (another country), and when anti-fluoride patients come in, we generally sassily remark that we thank them for keeping us in business. Bit of dark humour to see the silver lining in things, I guess?

        There have certainly been dental clinics going out of business in the last few years, something quite unheard of - unlike other ‘new businesses’, the success rate of opening a new dental clinic was normally guaranteed (unlike say a new cafe).

        If the general population want to remove one of the best public health initiatives, then so be it. We’ll make hay while the sun shines.

  • mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    There’s Swig all over the place in Utah… it’s literally liquified sugar. The dentists in that state are going to have an absolutely stellar future as their customers increase.

    • LousyCornMuffins@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I’d agree, but Utah has an excessive glut of dentists. Folk who could be earning half a million annually working three days a week go to Utah and earn 75k.

  • thingAmaBob@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    When I was younger, I was confused as to why fluoride was in water, since we would receive regular fluoride tablets in grade school. I’m sure not every school does that…

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I think I’m well past the point of caring if a bunch of conservative’s teeth fall out.

    As for those living there that are smarter than their conservative neighbors, honestly, we’re heading toward a future in this country where you may actually need to move to a blue state to have a decent future. Sorry.

  • Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de
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    4 months ago

    Shit; the serial killer sympathizers, racist, cousin fuckers, are about to add this to the list

    Sorry to all my brits, I know this hits home.

  • SpiceDealer@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Oh for fuck’s sake, how many times does this bullshit nave to be debunked?!

    Here’s a paper that puts this nonsense to rest.

    And if that’s too “elitist” for you here’s not one but two Youtube videos.

    • Ledericas@lemm.ee
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      4 months ago

      People are going to be whining about cavities, in fact people who went flouride free toothpaste and complained they got cavities and blamed in on the effectiveness of the toothpaste

      • douglasg14b@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        It’s because critical thinking is a dead skill in this country.

        We have essentially trained an entire generation to not rely on critical thinking skills anymore. And apparently in the process of graduating a second generation of the same.

        It is the plot of Idiocracy. Where the people don’t even understand the things that affect them on a day-to-day basis they just know that “it’s what plants crave”

  • indomara@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Want to see what happens when you do this?

    https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/childrens-headline-indicators/contents/indicator-7

    Notice the two states with the highest rates of dental decay are Queensland and Northern Territory?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_in_Australia

    Yeah, those states didn’t get flouride in their water until around 2012.

    Such a coincidence…

    It’s also completely silly because many places have naturally fluoridated water!