USA - Doctor: Add fluoride to city water

Doctor: Add fluoride to city water
Dental health would improve, he says
By ADAM CHAPMAN
SUN HERALD
OCEAN SPRINGS --The Board of Aldermen heard from an Ocean Springs doctor Wednesday who wants the city to add fluoride to its water supply.
Dr. Marvin Morgan, a semi-retired physician, was accompanied by Dr. Nicholas Mosca, the head of the Mississippi State Department of Health.
Morgan told the board water fluoridation would be good for the dental health of the residents of Ocean Springs, especially the poor and those who do not visit a dentist regularly.
"The positive effects of water fluoridation are backed up by years of peer-reviewed scientific research," Morgan said. "The process of fluoridation would reduce the incidences of cavities, and it would therefore cause a reduction in infections caused by poor dental health."
About 1.5 million Mississippians receive fluoridated water from their home water outlets, according to Mosca. That figure is 53 percent of the state population.
"This is the most cost-effective way of preventing tooth decay," Mosca said.
Should aldermen agree to fluoridate the city's water, the State Health Department would pay for the start-up and two years afterward, which could add up to about $20,000, state officials said.
Morgan has been advocating fluoridated water since 1953 when he was a physician in Indianola.
"I've practiced medicine in a variety of different clinics along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and I have seen many cases of swollen jaws as a result of poor dental care," Morgan said. "I really think this could significantly improve the health of our citizens."
Should the aldermen approve the measure, state officials say fluoridation would not change the taste of Ocean Springs' tap water.