The bill to remove fluoride from drinking water passed the House and the Senate and will now be considered by Gov. Cox.
Bill H.B. 81 sponsored by Stephanie Gricius is to remove fluoride from drinking water. This bill passed the Salt Lake committee but is still being met with pushback from dentists.
Amie Winder Newton, a Salt Lake City council member, mentioned that in about 20 years of having fluoridating water in both Salt Lake City and Davis County, the data is inconclusive as to whether or not it is helping when compared to counties that do not fluoridate their water.
“I believe that this is an issue that the state should be weighing in on, because the real question on this is: Should the government be able to medicate the public water supply to try to impact health outcomes?” Newton said.
Utah does not have a mandatory fluoride concentration for the drinking water, leaving committees to deliberate over the decision on their own.
“When systems do fluoridate, we do have rules and requirements to make sure it's done safely," said Nathan Lundstad, director of the Utah Division of Drinking Water.
Lundstad mentioned that the engineers will plan the review and give periodic inspections. They sample the water quality, looking at the fluoridation with the help of the health department.
Rodney Thornell is the President of the Utah Dental Association and has been in Utah for over 20 years and believes he has seen the impact of patients before and after the fluoride in the water.
“Studies can show an indication of a direct correlation between fluoridated communities having a 25% decrease in cavities with just fluoride in the water,” Thornell said. “When you combine that with fluoride in toothpaste, that's where you get to the numbers of almost 60% reduction.”
Thornell believes the fight shouldn't be against fluoride, but against the sugar that everyone — especially children — consumes. He talked about how fluoride can help children grow strong teeth at a young age.
Since the bill has gone through the Senate, the only thing left is for Gov. Cox to sign it into law. If signed, the law will take effect May 7.