USA - Very pro-fluoridation opinion
As We See It: Watsonville should accept fluoride grant
Several weeks ago, the California Dental Association Foundation offered the city of Watsonville $1.2 million to add fluoride to the water supply to improve the oral health of the community.That offer was meant to end a long-running fight against fluoridation.
Whether it has met that goal is still up in the air. The Watsonville City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider acceptance of the grant March 27.
Council members report receiving calls and e-mails from citizens concerned about fluoridation, and no one will be surprised if foes turn up en masse to protest the project at the March meeting. The council should reject their arguments, accept the money and fluoridate the water. With the dental health of Watsonville's children at stake, the time for stalling is over.
Opponents argue fluoride causes problems ranging from lowered IQ to bone disorders. They say the substance used to fluoridate water is tainted with toxic chemicals. They insist mouthwashes or supplements provide a more economical and efficient delivery system and don't force anyone drinking a glass of tap water to ingest fluoride, whether they want to or not.
But here's the thing. Every major medical and dental association in the United States supports fluoridation. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fluoridation was one of the top 10 public health measures of the 20th century.
Why? Because in decades of use, in every reputable study, fluoridation has proven a safe and effective tool in preventing dental disease. Once fluoridation is started, cavity rates have been shown to decline 30 to 50 percent.
That's important because according to the California Dental Association, the most prevalent health-related problem for the state's children isn't obesity, asthma or childhood diabetes. It's dental disease. And guess who's hurting the most? Poor children. Latino children. The same children who may face the biggest challenges to getting treatment.In Watsonville, during a three-year period, Dientes Community Dental Care screened more than 10,000 school children and found 75 percent — that's 7,500 children — had untreated dental decay.
Even with all the objections from residents, the City Council should accept the California Dental Association Foundation grant if only for this reason — children, many of them poor, who suffer from dental disease.
Santa Cruz also has fought fluoridation. It's time for that community to rethink its position as well.
But for Watsonville, the money's available now and now is the time to move forward.
Several weeks ago, the California Dental Association Foundation offered the city of Watsonville $1.2 million to add fluoride to the water supply to improve the oral health of the community.That offer was meant to end a long-running fight against fluoridation.
Whether it has met that goal is still up in the air. The Watsonville City Council is tentatively scheduled to consider acceptance of the grant March 27.
Council members report receiving calls and e-mails from citizens concerned about fluoridation, and no one will be surprised if foes turn up en masse to protest the project at the March meeting. The council should reject their arguments, accept the money and fluoridate the water. With the dental health of Watsonville's children at stake, the time for stalling is over.
Opponents argue fluoride causes problems ranging from lowered IQ to bone disorders. They say the substance used to fluoridate water is tainted with toxic chemicals. They insist mouthwashes or supplements provide a more economical and efficient delivery system and don't force anyone drinking a glass of tap water to ingest fluoride, whether they want to or not.
But here's the thing. Every major medical and dental association in the United States supports fluoridation. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says fluoridation was one of the top 10 public health measures of the 20th century.
Why? Because in decades of use, in every reputable study, fluoridation has proven a safe and effective tool in preventing dental disease. Once fluoridation is started, cavity rates have been shown to decline 30 to 50 percent.
That's important because according to the California Dental Association, the most prevalent health-related problem for the state's children isn't obesity, asthma or childhood diabetes. It's dental disease. And guess who's hurting the most? Poor children. Latino children. The same children who may face the biggest challenges to getting treatment.In Watsonville, during a three-year period, Dientes Community Dental Care screened more than 10,000 school children and found 75 percent — that's 7,500 children — had untreated dental decay.
Even with all the objections from residents, the City Council should accept the California Dental Association Foundation grant if only for this reason — children, many of them poor, who suffer from dental disease.
Santa Cruz also has fought fluoridation. It's time for that community to rethink its position as well.
But for Watsonville, the money's available now and now is the time to move forward.
posted by Bill at
5:00 PM
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