Tooth Structure
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RESOURCE CENTRE : NEWS AND EVENTS : PRESS RELEASES
ASA Complaints Board Upholds NZDA Complaint againt anti-fluoridation advertising
The Advertising Standards Authority Complaints Board in response to a complaint from the New Zealand Dental Association have released their decision regarding the anti- fluoridation group-'Fluoride Action Network NZ' recent advertising in Waitati, Warrington and Seacliff.
In their lengthy and comprehensive report the Complaints Board's decision found that the anti-fluoridation group's advertisement had broken not one, but a number of the advertising standards.
The Complaints Board stated in its decision its view was that the anti- fluoridation advertisement ‘used research results in a manner which was misleading' and ‘by making unsubstantiated health claims, did not meet the due sense of social responsibility required', and ‘had not provided substantiation of the claims made in the advertisement and accordingly the Complaints Board ruled that the advertisement contained claims which were likely to mislead the reader'.
Dental Association's Executive Director, Dr David Crum, stated that claims expressed in the advertisement relating fluoridation to cancer were highly misleading. He said there have been a number of reviews of the scientific evidence and these have consistently failed to find a connection between cancer and fluoridation. ‘What upset me the most regarding the advertisement was the claim they made relating to osteosarcoma and a young boy. This sort of misleading and false claim by anti- fluoridationists played on fear in a way that was appalling'.
The Dental Association also noted that the anti-fluoridation group felt, for some reason, unlike other advertisers, they should not come under the jurisdiction of the Advertising Standards Complaints Board and as such chose to not provide any evidence to support their claims. Dr Crum stated...'that about sums up the robustness of the anti-fluoridation case, but what is really important is that the Dunedin City Councilors earlier this week effectively voted to retain water fluoridation to around 85% of Dunedin households. He applauded the City Councilors who supported fluoridation and its well proven health benefits....and stated, ‘they probably realized the very real benefits particularly to those families within the Dunedin community who can not afford dental care...afterall it's the children in those families who have the most to gain from retaining water fluoridation'.
NZDA
7 November 2008