Dr. Hardy Limeback

Over the last 25 years, Dr. Hardy Limeback has become a prominent member of the Canadian dental profession. More recently, he has also become a controversial figure as an outspoken adversary of water fluoridation in Canada. As a long time consultant to the Canadian Dental Association, former President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, and an Associate Professor and Head of Preventative Dentistry at prestigious University of Toronto, Limeback has dedicated a large proportion of his professional research to the study of dental fluorosis and public cavity prevention

After years of teaching and promoting the dental health benefits of public water fluoridation, he caused a flurry of discussion and action when, at a conference in April 1999 he publicly apologized to students, peers, and the community for his failure to adequately assess the effectiveness of these practices. In this challenge to long-held views supporting water fluoridation, he acknowledged the dangers of fluoride ingestion, and has since recalled that, “Speaking as the head of preventive dentistry, I told them that I had unintentionally misled my colleagues and my students. For the past 15 years, I had refused to study the toxicology information that is readily available to anyone. Poisoning our children was the furthest thing from my mind.”

While Dr. Limeback continues to recognize the positive effects of topically applied fluoride as a preventative measure, he stands firm that the risks deriving from ingested fluoride are great, especially for small children. As a foremost fluoridation expert in Canada, Dr. Limeback has publicly stated that “Children under three should never use fluoridated toothpaste. Or drink fluoridated water. And baby formula must never be made up using Toronto tap water,” as it may cause permanent damage to erupting teeth and dental development.

In a reaction to the media frenzy following his public apology, Limeback advised that, “There is now a better understanding of how fluoride prevents dental decay,” and recent toxicological assessments suggest that fluoride ingestion is not only ineffective, but unsafe over the long term. His challenge to water fluoridation sent ripples through the dental community, and public media, adding to the contentious fluoridation issue, and bolstering the efforts of anti-fluoridation campaigns in Canada. Since his public reversal the dental community has been forced to delve into the toxicological effects of common fluoride treatments, including water fluoridation, and previously uninformed communities have taken sharp notice of the potential hazards of this common practice.