Responsibility (Letter to the Editor)

To the editor: 

Your health related article was brought to my attention and, as a responsible member of the dental profession, as well as the Vice President of Marketing for Scherer Laboratories, I felt that I must respond.

I would address my first comment to you and the paper. It is your responsibility to obtain the facts, the truth, but in this case you clearly do not have them. All airplanes are not the same and neither are fluorides; some are designed for ingestion, others for topical use. Those agents designed for ingestion are prescribed by a physician or dentist who CALCULATES the needed fluoride supplement dependent upon the fluoride concentration of the local water supply. This systemic fluoride is designed to enhance the health of the hard structures of the body teeth and bone.

Topical agents may be a prescription pharmaceutical,such as Gel-Kam HomeCare, or they may be an over the counter preparation. In the case of a prescription product like Gel-Kam HomeCare, the dentist is prescribing it for a SPECIFIC problem to be used in a SPECIFIC manner. The directions for use must be followed as with ANY drug. Additionally, the FDA (Food and Drug AdmInistration) carefully reviews all prescription and OTC products and Inspects the manufacturing facilities regularly.

Toxicity studies have been done on fluoride for the last half century. The FDA, American Dental Association and American Medical Association have all evaluated this agent, and believe it is a safe pharmaceutical agent. I regret that Dr. Meinig hasn’t taken the time to review the SCIENTlFIC literature, believes that the ADA and AMA have a fluoride conspiracy, and does not use or prescribe fluorides for his dental patients…they are the ones who stand to lose the most from his ignorance.

Mark Tholen, DDS, MBA

Vice-President Marketing, Scherer Laboratories, Dallas, Texas