Fluoridation works

I did my dental training in Indianapolis. When I moved to Spokane I was shocked at how many kids had decay or white spots on their teeth compared to the kids in Indianapolis. The only difference being, unlike most of the rest of the country we do not have water fluoridation. When I share this with colleagues from other parts of the country they laugh in disbelief that we don’t have this decades-proven, safe, effective prevention measure for our children. What is worse is that non-fluoridation hits low income and minority communities the hardest as they are too often the least able to obtain dental care.

I assure you, the children of local dentists get fluoride, albeit with supplements. It is sad that in our hyper-polarized world that we cannot put politics aside for the sake of our children, join the rest of the country and offer what has been described as one of the top 10 public health programs of the 20th century.

While the opponents of community fluoridation may be the loudest voices in the room, the science is firmly on the side of prevention. Bottom line: Fluoridation works!

David Engen, DDS, MSD

Spokane