Flawed practice

In responding to the recent release by the Ministry of Health of 2017 oral health statistics for five year olds and Year 8 (12 year olds), Northland DHB oral health adviser Neil Croucher in referring to the relatively poor state of oral health in Northland, said, “If we did have fluoride in the water here in Northland it would make a heap of difference.”

Dr Croucher is simply chanting the dental establishment pro-fluoridation mantra without any cognisance of the wider bodily effects of swallowing a cumulative toxin over time.

Uncontrolled mass medicating of a community water supply with fluoride is a flawed practice, with marginal gains in dental health at best.

The 2017 stats show that for all ethnicities of 12 year olds the difference between the fluoridated and non-fluoridated cohorts (24,129 and 18,666 respectively) is just one-fifth of a decayed, missing or filled tooth. Spending millions nationwide to close this gap is nuts.

Poor dental heath in Northland is not the absence of fluoridation but the failure of the NDHB oral health division to aggressively promote basic oral hygiene, like brushing twice a day with toothpaste, making sure people (particularly children) have access to those products, and campaigning assertively against sugary drinks.

When did anyone see widespread public advertisement on these issues like occurred some years ago when the NDHB promoted fluoridation for Kaitaia and Kaikohe?

The floodgates of fluoride research are just opening, and there have been about 45 published peer-reviewed studies on fluoride so far this year. The NDHB should take note that most all report harm and little or no benefit. ROSS FORBES

Kerikeri

My name is Porline Ginty, and I am writing this letter to you to publicly acknowledge my heartfelt thanks to Professor Ronald W Jones, God-sent whistleblower — and author of Doctors in Denial, to do with the ‘unfortunate experiment’. To which my mother was one of the (unlucky) women, and patient of Doctor Herbert Green, at National Women’s Hospital, Auckland, in the mid 60s.

Thank you Professor Ronald Jones for being the voice for all mothers whose lives were stolen away from us because of negligence from past obstetricians and gynaecologists back in that terrible era, and the doctor known as Herbert Green.

I awoke on Monday morning, August 27, 2018, turned on the TV news, and was met with a televised apology from the Auckland Health Board.

To me the apology felt very hollow for the 46 years my family waited for a personallywritten, apology from the National Women’s Hospital Committee, and to hear this televised apology brought back the memory of our mother’s suffering, my tears flowing.

Final closure from the Auckland Health Board committee — shame on you all. Victory to you only Professor Ron Jones, for standing tall on behalf of all our families. We are so very proud of you, champion God-sent whistleblower.

As for the medical professors and doctors, the truth will always prevail.

God bless you Professor Ronald W Jones, from the Ginty whanau and all the families who lost their mothers.

PORLINE GINTY

Kaitaia