Project Bright Smile: A PR Crisis Management Plan for Fluoride
What if public health had corporate PR budgets? A thought experiment in crisis communication
The Client's Crisis
Last week, Utah became the first state in the nation to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Despite decades of scientific consensus supporting water fluoridation as one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, Governor Spencer Cox signed legislation on March 28th barring communities from adding this mineral to their water systems, effective May 7th.
The American Dental Association immediately condemned the decision, warning it shows "wanton disregard for the oral health and well-being of their constituents." But this isn't just about Utah. Similar bills have been proposed in Ohio, South Carolina, and Florida. We're witnessing the beginning of what could become a nationwide retreat from a proven public health intervention.
So I asked myself: What if fluoride could hire its own crisis PR team? What if public health had the same communication resources as corporations facing reputation challenges?
We've tackled the fluoride debate dozens of times in previous articles (see below)—examining the scientific evidence, debunking myths, analyzing policy implications, and presenting the public health benefits. After years of approaching this topic through traditional evidence-based arguments, I wanted to try something entirely different.
This is a thought experiment, of course. There's no "Big Fluoride" with deep pockets for expansive PR campaigns. But by applying strategic communication theory to this public health crisis, we might discover new frameworks for defending evidence-based interventions against misinformation. (And, yes, this is very reminiscent of Leslie Knope’s T-Dazzle campaign in Parks n’ Rec—life imitating art!)
The PR Framework: Crisis Communication Theory in Action
When developing this hypothetical campaign, I'm drawing from several established PR theories:
1. Image Restoration Theory (Benoit): This theory focuses on strategies for repairing a damaged reputation. For fluoride, we need to address specific accusations (that it's "forced medication" or "too expensive") with targeted counternarratives.
2. Situational Crisis Communication Theory (Coombs): This framework emphasizes matching your response to the type of crisis you're facing. Fluoride faces an "attribution crisis" where stakeholders are assigning blame based on misinformation—requiring a response that provides corrective information while acknowledging concerns.
3. Narrative Paradigm Theory (Fisher): This theory suggests humans are essentially storytellers who make decisions based on "good reasons" derived from coherent narratives rather than pure logic. For fluoride, we need compelling stories, not just scientific facts.
Let's apply these theories to develop a comprehensive crisis communication strategy for our hypothetical client.
The Campaign: Project Bright Smile
Phase 1: Reframing the Narrative
The first step in any crisis is controlling the narrative. Currently, fluoride is being framed as:
A government imposition on personal freedom
An unnecessary chemical additive
A financial burden on communities
Our reframing strategy positions fluoride as:
A natural mineral that strengthens community health
A public health equity tool that benefits everyone
A fiscally responsible preventative health measure
Key Message Platform:
Freedom Through Health: "Strong teeth mean freedom from pain, freedom from expensive dental bills, and freedom to smile with confidence."
Natural Protection: "Fluoride occurs naturally in many water sources. Water fluoridation simply adjusts levels to the optimal range for dental health—similar to how we fortify foods with essential vitamins."
Economic Common Sense: "For most cities, every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs. The average person in a fluoridated community saves about $32 in dental expenses annually, while fluoridation itself costs only about $0.50 per person per year."
Health Equity in Action: "Water fluoridation reaches everyone regardless of income, insurance status, or access to dental care. It's one of the few health interventions that truly leaves no one behind."
Phase 2: Strategic Storytelling
According to Narrative Paradigm Theory, facts alone won't win this battle. We need compelling stories that resonate emotionally:
The Smile Stories Campaign:
Profile families from non-fluoridated communities struggling with preventable dental issues
Highlight the financial impact on working families with limited dental insurance
Feature dentists serving rural communities who witness the disparities firsthand
The Generation Smile Project:
Document oral health differences between older generations who grew up without fluoridation and younger ones who benefited from it
Create before/after narratives showing the transformation in public health
Phase 3: Unexpected Alliances
Crisis communication often benefits from third-party validation. Our strategy involves cultivating unlikely messengers:
Fiscal Conservatives for Fluoride:
Position fluoridation as financially responsible governance
Highlight the taxpayer burden of emergency dental care for preventable conditions
Calculate the economic impact of missed school and work days due to dental pain
Rural Health Advocates:
Amplify voices from communities with limited dental access
Frame fluoridation as essential infrastructure for underserved areas
Connect the dots between oral health and overall wellbeing
Phase 4: Community Mobilization
Applying Situational Crisis Communication Theory, we need to mobilize stakeholders who benefit from fluoridation:
The Dental Health Equity Toolkit:
Create resources for local advocates to engage with city councils
Provide simple talking points for community members to use in public forums
Develop template letters-to-the-editor emphasizing local impact
The Fluoride Facts Squad:
Train dental professionals to respond quickly to misinformation
Create a rapid response network for media inquiries
Develop social media toolkits for correcting common myths
Implementation: Starting Small but Thinking Big
While this campaign strategy is ambitious, elements could be implemented even without significant funding:
Hyperlocal Focus: Begin with one affected community in Utah as a case study
Digital-First Approach: Leverage social media and existing public health networks
Volunteer Expertise: Engage dental schools and public health programs
Data Visualization: Create shareable infographics highlighting cost-benefit analyses
Personal Testimonials: Collect and amplify stories from affected communities
The Bigger Picture: Defending Public Health in the Misinformation Era
This thought experiment about fluoride has implications beyond dental health. Many evidence-based public health interventions—from vaccines to nutritional guidelines—face similar communication challenges.
By treating public health measures with the same strategic communication attention that corporations give their products, we might develop more effective approaches to combating misinformation and protecting community wellbeing.
The Utah fluoride ban should serve as a wake-up call. While we may not have corporate PR budgets, we can still apply sophisticated communication frameworks to defend science-based interventions. The health of our communities depends on it.
Note: While this article presents a hypothetical PR campaign, organizations like Unbiased Science can implement some of these strategies. If you're interested in discussing toolkit development, fact squad training, or innovative educational tools around fluoride or other public health topics, please contact me at jsteier@vscgrp.com.
Stay Curious,
Unbiased Science
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What a brilliant thought experiment!
This is genius. I'm going to start sharing the marketing.