Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Pennsylvania Considers Fluoridating All Public Water
Fluoride in public water systems has long been touted as a great health initiative — helping prevent cavities and tooth decay, and improving the dental health of citizens by the millions. But only around half of the residents living in Pennsylvania have fluoridated tap water, reported the Harrisburg-Patriot News.
The Pennsylvania House Health and Human Services Committee recently approved a bill that requires all public systems to fluoridate water if they have 500 or more customers. The measure will now go to the Appropriations Committee for approval.
Most scientists and lawmakers agree that putting fluoride in tap water has big health benefits. And the Pennsylvania Dental Association is leading the push for fluoridating all public water.
“The state supports fluoridation as a preventive measure. It has been proven and it’s supported by research from the CDC, the American Dental Association and other independent researchers,” said Pennsylvania public health dentist, Dr. Howard Tolchinsky.
But not everyone supports fluoridating. One dentist from New Jersey claims that there isn’t enough evidence that say communities with fluoridated water have healthier teeth than those with no fluoride.
“If everybody wanted shinier floors, would you put floor wax in the water supply?” challenged the New Jersey dentist, wary of fluoride’s alleged health benefits.
There is, though, widespread acceptance that fluoride does help communities’ dental health.
“The cost to repair those teeth is far greater than [fluoridated water]. I’m not a doctor or a scientist, but I wouldn’t promote it if it wasn’t considered a positive public health strategy,” said executive director of the Carlisle Area Health and Wellness Foundation, Bets Clever.
It costs anywhere from 50 cents to $3 per person to fluoridate tap water depending on the size of the public system, wrote the Harrisburg-Patriot.
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