The National Health Service (NHS) Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, UK, recently released a review1 perceived to be " the final word on fluoridation". To judge from the course of a discussion about the layout of this York review, the result was to be expected: benefits (though smaller than previously claimed) with regard to caries prophylaxis, at the cost of some defects " that may cause aesthetic concern" (dental fluorosis), no harm to general health.

This report is just one of many made apparently aimed at giving support to preoccupied views of the proponents of fluoridation. Like other sections, the evaluation of the fluoridation-cancer link in this report is far from presenting " a summary of the best available and most reliable evidence on the safety and efficacy of water fluoridation." Not only did the York team disregard all relevant experimental data, a prerequisite to decide what effects of fluoride should be looked for, it also, quite obvious to anyone knowing the relevant literature, distorted facts to make its point.