To Fluoridate... or Not to Fluoridate

The fluoride debate heated up in Independence (and surrounding communities such as Blue Spring, Grain Valley and Oak Grove that buy water from Independence) when a special task force petitioned the city for a higher amount of fluoride in the public water system.

Here are some important issues we think are important to bring out in the debate:

• A former dentist and fluoride supporter points out in an Examiner article, "The people who benefit the least from this, the dentists, are the biggest advocates." The dental community isn't behind this because it increases business (it could do the opposite). They are behind this because it enhances the dental health of the community, something each dentist in the area has dedicated his or her life to doing. Source: The Examiner article
• Did you know, as The Examiner points out, that Independence is the largest city in Missouri not to have fluoridated water?
• Here is the American Dental Association's stance: For over five decades, the American Dental Association has continuously endorsed the fluoridation of community water supplies and the use of fluoride-containing products as safe and effective measures for preventing tooth decay.
• More from the ADA: Community Water Fluoridation. Fluoride is present naturally in all water sources. Community water fluoridation, which has been around for over 50 years, is simply the process of adjusting the fluoride content of fluoride-deficient water to the recommended level for optimal dental health. That recommended level is 0.7 - 1.2 parts fluoride per million parts water. Water fluoridation has been proven to reduce decay in both children and adults. While water fluoridation is an extremely effective and inexpensive means of obtaining the fluoride necessary for optimal tooth decay prevention, not everyone lives in a community with a centralized, public or private water source that can be fluoridated. For those individuals, fluoride is available in other forms. Source: ADA Website article
• The ADA recommends 0.7 to 1.2 parts fluoride per million parts of water. Independence water currently contains (naturally) up to 0.4 parts per million. The Independence task force is pursuing 1 part per million. Our community, especially our children, deserve this protection.