Teeth

Did the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Challenger survive the 1986 explosion? No, that's not true: The seven astronauts who were onboard the Challenger died on January 28, 1986. Four of the individuals whom one video narrator presents as survivors of the explosion are individuals without established family or professional ties to the crew. In two cases, the brothers of…

Does the safety protocol for cleaning up a spill of hydrofluorosilicic acid demonstrate that the fluoride in toothpaste must be damaging to teeth? No, that's not true: The concentrations and amounts of fluoride approved for use in both drinking water and toothpaste, which may come from several compounds including hydrofluorosilicic acid, are proven to be safe. The claims appear in…

Did the government ask scientists to find another use for fluoride, which had been used to make nuclear weapons, pesticides and herbicides, because 'there was too much of it"? Did someone "decide" that it would strengthen teeth -- and then fluoride was added to toothpaste, mouthwash and eventually the water supply? No, that's not true: This is not the history…

Is a photo purportedly displaying an adult suffering from hyperdontia real? No, that's not true: The chair of the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry told Lead Stories, "The picture offers no evidence of validity." Also, this photo has been recycled from unsubstantiated online accounts since at least 2011. The claim…

Did the ancient Egyptians do the dental work seen on the skeleton pictured below? No, that's not true: The picture circulating that is being called dentistry from ancient Egypt is dental work done by an Italian dentist at the turn of the 20th century, Dr. Vincenzo Guerini. The ancient Egyptians did have a type of dentistry, but this photo is…

Did an experiment comparing the effect soaking eggs in various beverages had on their eggshells provide conclusive evidence about aspartame or other sugar substitutes and whether they were unhealthy? No, that's not true: While this at-home experiment did show a dramatic change to one of the eggs -- the one exposed to a sugar-free drink mix -- the design of…

Does the presence of dipotassium phosphate in a food indicate that it is heavily processed and that it could harm your health? No. The Food and Drug Administration classifies this food additive as "Generally Recognized as Safe." The additive dipotassium phosphate is a manufactured salt compound. Both potassium and phosphorus are essential for the body's functioning and are found naturally…

Did wolves attack Shrek the Sheep (archived here), a Merino sheep who escaped from a sheep station only to be found 6 years later covered in approximately 60 pounds of wool? No, that's not true: there are no native wolves in New Zealand, although there are non-native feral dogs. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on…

Is "medical error" the third leading cause of death in the United States? No, that's not proven: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not include "medical error" in the top 10 leading causes of death in the United States. For one thing, given the lack of a precise medical or legal definition for "medical error," it's difficult to…

Was a Florida teacher jailed after having sex with a student who then reported her because of her poor performance? No, that's not true: While a post making the claim does not give the teacher's name, the screenshot of a purported FOX News article uses a photo of an Alabama teacher arrested in 2017 and sent to prison in 2021…