how fluoride is the poster child of bad communication
Decades of scientists flailing in the fight against pseudoscience
We're sorry to say it, but we can't deny it.
Scientists have done a crappy job of communicating with the public about the science of fluoride.
We're going ahead and saying it, because after 65 years, it's time to admit we need a radical reset in fluoride science communication.
It's time that scientists who work on fluoride pull their noses out of their nerdy books, come out of their lonely laboratories, and do something that doesn't come easy .... get way better at talking with other people about science. It's time to take a new approach using modern scicomm.
Bad science communication in the history of fluoride: Exhibit A
1950s CT DOH office...
Staff dentist: "Man, cavities are rampant, and we've got to get more kids access to fluoridated water!"
Dental director: "But people are freaked out hearing a bunch of Birchers say it's poison and an evil conspiracy. What are we gonna do?"
Public health officer: "Oh, I know! How about a poster of a really scary looking guy? That'll allay everyone's fears, I'm sure of it!"
We think the first step in the process of better communication is admitting we have a problem.
So let's define our problem ....
For over 65 years, all of the greatest scientific organizations and agencies have affirmed and reaffirmed over and over again that community water fluoridation is safe and effective. But pseudoscience around fluoride is rampant. Those opposed to fluoride often incorrectly think science is on the verge of declaring it outdated and dangerous. At the same time, some scientists and science supporters say the problem is that people are being irrational and not listening to the scientists.
But neither of these are right.
The truth is that the math and science nerds who excel at looking deeply at the mathematical and scientific evidence of the safety and effectiveness of fluoride by and large suck at little things ... like ...
Communicating. Communicating across disciplines. Empathizing. Having a Conversation. Listening.
They also suck at things like ... Art. Language Arts. Metaphor. Analogy. Writing Clearly and Succinctly.
Whenever Luther Terry, 9th Surgeon General of the U.S., gave his professional opinion of fluoride in the 1960s, he said something similar to what he said in 1966:
"Controlled fluoridation is one of the four great, mass preventive health measures of all time. The 'four horseman' of health are: the pasteurization of milk, the purification of water, immunization against disease, and controlled fluoridation of water."
Face palm. Head desk. Scooby Doo confused face.
What was he thinking?
Luther Terry, rest in peace, you are one of the most revered Surgeon Generals in our history. Your leadership in science and public health led to our nation turning around on smoking. The report you led made us finally accept the facts that cigarettes cause massive disease. Clearly, you were a great man of science. And we thank you for what you did for our nation. But analogies? Thinking through connotations? Not your forte, dude, not your forte.
We love ya math and science nerds. We ARE math and science nerds ourselves. But we need to stop blaming others for not understanding our various dialects of nerdspeak, and get our butts into remedial education on basic communication skills.
And then we need to move on to advanced, innovative, and non-traditional communication skills.
We need to become more understandable, better at communicating complexity, more fun, full of compassion, and most of all, keen on listening.
Don't believe us? Then here are some words from our revered math and science nerd hero. Carl Sagan said that scientists need "to make themselves understandable and fun to listen to" and that compassion "is key to making science and the scientific method more attractive."
That goes double and triple for any scientist or science supporter who is involved in anything having to do with fluoride.
Fluoride pseudoscience has had a hold on so many people for so long, it's time for a real change in the way different sciences communicate with each other and to the public about their work that connects to fluoride.
It's time for fluoride and fluoridation to get a deep dive into the latest and best science and health communication methods and research.
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