Letter to the Editor

Fluoride saves money

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Dear Editor,

The Nebraska State Board of Health strongly supports the fluoridation of public drinking water as the most cost-effective, equitable and safe means of providing protection from tooth decay in a community. Fluoridation in public drinking water has safely and effectively reduced tooth decay for community residents of all ages for over 50 years.

Research shows that for every $1 spent on fluoridation, $38 is saved on dental treatments. The Nebraska Legislature passed LB 245 this last year to provide fluoridation of drinking water in cities or villages with populations of one thousand or more residents by June 2, 2010. The bill included an "opt out" provision. As a result many Nebraska communities (61 of the eligible 64) will be voting on this important issue in November. It is important for all Nebraska communities that they understand the wording on their local ballot, and the State Board of Health encourages you to explain to your readers what a Yes vote means and what a No vote means. Credible science-based organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association are consistently uniform in recommending fluoridation of public drinking water.

The science is clear that adding fluoride saves money and can safely improve dental health for all Nebraskans.

Sincerely,

Linda L. Lazure,

PhD, RN

Chairperson

State Board of Health

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  • Modern science shows that ingesting fluoride confers no benefits. The Centers for Disease Control reports that up to 48% of school children sport dental fluorosis - white spotted, yellow, brown and/or pitted enamel from too much fluoride.

    There is no evidence that any Nebraskan is fluoride deficient; but many are dentist-deficient.

    Fluoride will never solve the oral health crisis facing Nebraskans today and in fact may do much more harm than good. 80% of US dentists refuse Medicaid patients and 108 million Americans lack dental insurance.

    The National Kidney Foundation withdrew it's support of fluoridation and replaced it with this warning: "Individuals with CKD [Chronic Kidney Disease] should be notified of the potential risk of fluoride exposure."

    The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Canada's leading voice on environmental health issues, released a statement opposing fluoridation.

    Researchers reporting in the Oct 6 2007 British Medical Journal indicate that fluoridation, touted as a safe cavity preventive, was never proven safe or effective and may be unethical.

    A qualitative review of the studies found a consistent and strong association between the exposure to fluoride and low IQ." concluded Tang el al., in "Fluoride and Children's Intelligence: A Meta-analysis" in Biological Trace Element Research (e-published ahead of print 8/10/08)

    For more info:

    Fluoridation 101

    http://www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof

    http://www.fluorideAction.net

    -- Posted by nyscof on Sat, Oct 18, 2008, at 5:28 AM
  • "The science is clear that adding fluoride saves money and can safely improve dental health for all Nebraskans."

    This is a dangerous and misleading statement and a major cause for concern coming from a PhD who is also chairperson for the State Board of Health. Surely she knows there is powerful opposition to this 'science' coming from an enormous number of her colleagues.

    Over 1,800 Professionals Call for an End to Fluoridation of Drinking Water

    http://www.fluoridealert.org/professionals.statement.html

    -- Posted by Gildea on Sat, Oct 18, 2008, at 7:07 PM
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