Sir, - It was so refreshing to read a letter from a dental surgeon opposing water fluoridation (Dr Don MacAuley, July 23rd).
So many dentists - dare I say the majority? - are so brainwashed by the propaganda put forward by government and dental officials and the British Fluoridation Society (a government-financed body composed mainly of dentists) that they are blind to the ethical side of forcing people to ingest a toxic substance without their consent.
They are blind to its dangers to general health, which are well publicised by eminent scientists.
The systematic review of the effects of water fluoridation conducted last year by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York University did not show water fluoridation to be safe (safety having always been claimed by the pro-fluoridation lobby). Statements made in press releases by the British Dental Association, the National Alliance for Equality in Dental Health and the British Fluoridation Society which mislead the public about the review's findings, have been severely criticised by the chairman of the advisory group for the review, Prof Trevor Sheldon.
Great Britain and the Irish Republic are the only EU countries promoting fluoridation. It is time the two governments joined countries in Western Europe in rejecting this unethical and dangerous practice. - Yours, etc.,
Muriel Harbinson, (Member of National Pure Water Association, Northern Ireland Branch), Ballygally, Co Antrim.