April 4, 2000

As a health care provider, I read a recent letter to The Bee with great concern. The individual wrote to raise fear about putting fluoride in Modesto's water, as if the proposed levels of fluoride treatment will harm people's health.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring element, that when adjusted to optimal levels in a community's water system can reduce cavities by 40 percent to 60 percent. It is important to note that many well recognized and respected health institutions - the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer society and the American Dental Association - have fully endorsed fluoridating water as a safe and important public health project for communities.

The American Cancer Society says there is no truth to the claim that a fluoridated water system causes cancer. Senior citizen groups support fluoridation and no legitimate study has found a correlation between hip fractures and fluoridating a water system.

Rotten teeth affect individuals and our community in many different ways. Cavities are painful and too prevalent in Modesto's children. Kids with cavities cannot concentrate when in school, and when they miss school to get major dental care, it cost the schools Average Daily Attendance (ADA) money. Many people are forced to use emergency rooms to deal with untreated tooth decay, costing them time from work as well as loss of pay. It also impacts our local hospital emergency room budgets if the patient does not have dental insurance. Dental decay has also recently been linked to heart disease, sepsis in pregnant mothers (leading to infant morbidity) and other ailments. We need to be responsible to children and families in this community, and that means getting our water fluoridated.

It is a safe and important public health step we need to take. It will help prevent cavities in both children and adults teeth, saving millions of dollars in costs associated with dental treatment that is needed when our children's teeth are soft and full of holes.

Moore is a staff member of the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency

Reprinted by permission of The Modesto Bee.