This year more than 4 million people living in 140 communities in Massachusetts will have the health and economic benefits of community water fluoridation. However Massachusetts is ranked only 37th in the country for fluoridation, with just 62 percent of the population on a public water supply living in fluoridated communities. Nationally, more than 210 million Americans, about 74.6 percent of the U.S. population on a community water supply live in fluoridated communities.
A patient entering a dental office is often greeted and then checked in through the practice management system's digital appointment book. The provider is notified by an electronic signal that is visual, audible, or both. The patient is led to the treatment area and sits in a dental chair which is adjusted to the individual's size and position for the treatment, and the light is positioned. Sometimes a radiograph is taken, local anesthetic is delivered, and a handpiece--air turbine or electric--is used for the procedure. How different is this process today from a dentist treating a patient in 1864?
Objectives: In the United States, 95 percent of teens and 85 percent of adults use the Internet. Two social media outlets, Facebook and Twitter, reach more than 150 billion users. This study describes anti-fluoridation activity and dominance on the Internet and social media, both of which are community water fluoridation (CWF) information sources.
Methods: Monthly website traffic to major fluoridation websites was determined from June 2011 to May 2012. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube fluoridation activity was categorized as "proCWF" or "anti-CWF." Twitter's anti-CWF tweets were further subcategorized by the argument used against CWF.
Results: Anti-CWF website traffic was found to exceed proCWF activity five- to sixty-fold. Searching "fluoride" and "fluoridation" on Facebook resulted in 88 to 100 percent anti-CWF groups and pages; "fluoridation" on Twitter and YouTube resulted in 64 percent anti-CWF tweets and 99 percent anti-CWF videos, respectively. "Cancer, " "useless, " and "poisonous" were the three major arguments used against fluoridation.
Conclusions: Anti-fluoridation information significantly dominates the Internet and social media. Thousands of people are being misinformed daily about the safety, health, and economic benefits of fluoridation.
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