Tonight the Raleigh City Council will hear a challenge to the current community water fluoridation (CWF) standards. Likely the request will be to adjust the water fluoridation to levels below the optimal level to prevent tooth decay.

Water fluoridation was introduced in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1945, and since then the use of CWF has been the primary factor in saving some $40 billion in oral health care costs in the United States. While behavioral patterns have changed in that period, CWF is the the chief reason that half of all children under 18 have never had a cavity in a permanent tooth.

If you talk to any dentist above 70 years of age in the area, to a man, they can attest to the marked improvement in children’s oral health they’ve seen first-hand throughout their careers; and, to a man, they will all tell you that CWF has been a good decision.

There are dangers of having too much fluoride, however. Fluorosis is the overuse of fluoride and produces mottled teeth. In mild to moderate cases the mottling is strictly an aesthetic problem. In severe cases the enamel in mottled teeth is not as strong, and is difficult to treat. Studies have been done and concluded that below a certain point (just greater than 1 part-per-million (ppm) of fluoride), the rate of fluorosis rises constantly and slowly, and is a flatter curve than the falling rate of decay. Beyond that certain point, however, fluorosis dramatically increases while decay flattens out. It is for this reason that the recommended water dosage point is 1.0ppm. There is no doubt that a decrease in the amount of fluoride intake from this level will result in many more cavities for children in Raleigh, and therefore, a lifetime of weaker teeth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control:

The Division of Oral Health salutes the dedication and perseverance of fluoridation pioneers. Because of their efforts and continued support from generations of dentists and other health care providers, health care and public health organizations, community leaders, water plant operators, and untold others, the prevention of tooth decay through community water fluoridation is recognized by the DC as one of 10 great achievements in public health of the 20th century. This simple, safe, and inexpensive public health intervention has contributed to a remarkable decline in tooth decay in the United States, with each generation enjoying better oral health than the previous generation.

According to Former 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 … Policymakers, community leaders, private industry, health professionals, the media, and the public should affirm that oral health is essential to general health and well-being and take action to make ourselves, our families, and our communities healthier. I join previous Surgeons General in acknowledging the continuing public health role for community water fluoridation in enhancing the oral health of all Americans.

We are in a two week stretch of speeches about some big decisions in America. However none of those will impact our children’s health as much as what will be said tonight to the Raleigh City Council.

The meeting will take place in the Raleigh City Council Chamber at 7:00pm.