The conference was the largest in the history of the Society. In attendance were 200 scientists from China and almost 100 from 15 other countries. The main theme of the Conference was the wide range of serious health problems caused by wide-spread fluorosis in China. Their studies show that bone changes occur early and accompany the three levels of dental fluorosis.
Skeletal fluorosis is seen as the end result of fluoride poisoning.
In Canada and the US, dental fluorosis is largely ignored and evidence of skeletal fluorosis is taken as an indicator of fluoride toxicity. Chinese scientists demonstrated the relationship between poor diet, especially calcium deficiency, repeated childbirth and duration of exposure on the severity of skeletal fluorosis. They reported higher infant death rate due to congenital abnormalities and higher death rates generally in endemic fluorosis areas. Conflicting evidence was presented in various papers. This brought into view the conflict that is inherent in the commitment of WHO and the US Public Health Service to protect the concept of 'fluoridation' at 'optimal level' from findings of experts from around the world that show that these concepts are obsolete and dangerous.