By JOHN GAMBEE
Utah County’s commissioner could allow a county-wide vote on the controversial issue of fluoridating the water supply if a bill approved by the state’s House Health and Human Services Committee becomes law.
Only 3 percent of Utah’s water contains sufficient fluoride to prevent tooth decay, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Comparatively, a report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that overall, 62 percent of Americans drink fluoridated water.
“We support fluoride in the water,” said Wendy Briggs, a dental hygienist who has worked in the industry for 12 years. “Back east, where water is fluoridated, the instance of tooth decay in children is very rare.”
Statistics from the Utah Dental Association indicate that 65 percent of Utah’s children have dental disease, compared to 35 percent nationwide.
Larry Brathwaite, a Provo dentist who has been practicing since 1977, said that during his schooling at Loyola Chicago, where water is fluoridated, he struggled to find children with tooth decay. He said Utah now is ranked last among the 50 states in terms of fluoride levels in drinking water.
“It’s a crime,” Brathwaite said, in reference to Utah’s lack of fluoridation.
The House committee did not allow discussion on the pros and cons of fluoridation, according to an Associated Press article. The discussion focused instead on whether the state’s second-class counties, those with populations between 125,000 and 700,000 residents, should be able to vote on the issue.
Senate Bill 158, which was already approved by the state’s senators, was approved in committee by a vote of 10-1.
Currently, Salt Lake County is the only place where the commissioners can authorize such a countywide vote. Other cities and water systems can approve fluoridation only after a citizen’s petition or city council action, according to a story in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Salt Lake County commissioners have declined to call for a vote.
An attempt in 1998 to put the issue on the ballot in Utah County was greeted with a series of anti-fluoride groups visiting local city governments and rounds of editorial debates in local newspapers.
Fluoridation is cost effective with many benefits, Briggs said.
Fluoridation would cost residents an average of 40 cents per year compared to fillings, which cost $60 to $90 each, she said.
Brathwaite also indicated that fluoride strengthens developing teeth in youth and teenagers.
Larry Broadbent, a Provo dentist, said fluoridation is beneficial to “the general health of the public. If you put the right amount in, you’ll be just fine.
Not all reports are favorable.
Proponents of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1992, suggest that fluoride weakens bones. The study reported that men who drink fluoridated water had a 40 percent increased incidence of hip fractures, when compared to non-fluoridated areas, and women had a 27 percent higher incidence of the fractures.
Other concerns regarding fluoridation include discoloration of teeth, allergic reactions to fluoride and individual issues with governmental intrusion in personal decisions.
