Proposal to put fluoride in Hawaii water systems quickly dies

Lawmakers heard hours of testimony Wednesday on a proposal to add fluoride to Hawaii water systems to help prevent tooth decay, but the proposal quickly died when members of the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected the idea.

Water fluoridation has a long and controversial history in Hawaii, in large part because the state has very high rates of tooth decay in children.

A report entitled “Hawaii Smiles” by the state Department of Health concluded in 2015 that the state has the highest rate of tooth decay among third graders in the nation. More than seven out of 10 third graders here were affected by tooth decay, which is significantly higher than the national average of 52% nationwide.

That report credited fluoridation with making a “significant contribution” to the large decline in cavities in the U.S. since the 1960s, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named community water fluoridation one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.

But the only systems here with fluoridated water are on military bases, and for decades many Hawaii residents have resisted any effort to add fluoride to the drinking water supply, in part because people fear it would have other harmful health effects.