Why Did People Brush Their Teeth with Radium?

Question

I stumbled upon an interesting history of people using radium in their dental creams. How on earth did they decide that it was good for their health to employ radioactive elements in oral hygiene practices?

Answer 1

At the beginning of the 20th century, radium was incorporated in toothpastes because there was a common belief that radiation exposure was good especially in the fight against cancer. The belief however was wrong, as it fostered the utilization of radium in previously inappropriate ceramic forms in the dental care industry until the 1938 ban by US authorities on such products.

Comments

I am unable to handle the fact that people used dogs as suicide bombers .

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Some of these I already knew, like the thing with radium in the early 20th century...  And the Versailles thing, too... (Yuck!!)