In November, Boulder citizens will be asked to vote on Ballot Question 2B, a proposed ordinance that would discontinue adding fluoride to the drinking water. Fluoride (in the form of hydrofluorosilicic acid) has been safely added to the Boulder community drinking water since enactment of Ordinance #3513 in 1969.
The scientific evidence is incontrovertible that raising the amount of fluoride in the drinking water in areas where that amount is below its optimal level (which is the case in Boulder) significantly improves dental health in the community with no, I repeat, no, negative consequences.
For more than five decades, the American Dental Association has been a strong supporter of community water fluoridation. Its support of fluoridation has been echoed by more than 100 other professional organizations, including the American Public Health Association, the National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization, the Canadian, Australian, and British Dental Associations, and the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.
Extensive research has shown that optimal levels of fluoride not only reduce cavities in children and adults, it also helps repair the early stages of tooth decay even before the decay is visible. According to Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, “Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime for both children and adults.”
For any readers interested in examining the scientific evidence of the safety and effectiveness of fluoridation, the most recent and most definitive review of the scientific literature can be found by logging on to the American Dental Association and searching for the 71-page 2005 report, titled “Fluoridation Facts.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed community water fluoridation one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century, citing it as a safe, beneficial and cost-effective way to prevent tooth decay in children and adults.
In view of this overwhelming support for water fluoridation, I urge Boulder voters to vote against repealing the 1969 ordinance that began the safe and effective fluoridation of Boulder’s community water supply.
The author is from Boulder.
The preceding was originally published as a letter to the editor of the Boulder Daily Camera on October 2, 2006.
This message is from the Vote No on 2B Committee,
supported by the many very concerned health professionals serving the people of Boulder.
