USA - Letter to the editor | A new look at fluoridation overdue

Fluoridation of our water is open for debate again after nearly 30 years.

In 1989, I served as the expert for the City of Johnstown in opposition to the introduction of fluoride into the water supply. I was the only dentist or health-care professional with the qualifications to speak about this issue.

My conclusion that it was a bad idea was based on a reasonable cost-benefit analysis of this questionable health-care intervention.

Every year, state law requires that all second- and seventh-grade students receive a dental exam. The collective results of these annual checkups are scored as DMF averages – decayed, missing or filled – per school. The data is there to compare the before and after DMF scores to see if fluoridation actually reduced cavities.

I researched this data 20 years ago and found that cavities in the Greater Johns-town School District actually increased after fluoride was added to the water. Go figure.

In 1996, local dentists reported that kids were getting mottled enamel on their teeth from too much fluoride.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection now object to fluoridation over environmental concerns.

In 2016, the Journal of Water and Health reported a link between fluoridation and the incidence of Type 2 diabetes.

A serious look at fluoridation using a new DMF score comparison, cost-benefit analysis, environmental impact and a study on the rise of Type 2 diabetes in the area is long overdue.

Dr. Bill Choby

Johnstown