To fluoridate or not to fluoridate will be decided by the voters in several counties in Utah this November. The Deseret News has published various letters and editorials. The editorials profess that voters should study the matter so they can make an informed choice. The Deseret News is informed that there are many web sites with accurate, timely information about fluoridation. In particular, the International Society for Fluoride Research (ISFR) is publishing the current and back issues of Fluoride on the web. The Deseret News carefully avoids making any reference to these sources of information.

During the half century that fluoridation has been popular in the United States, the incidence of cavities has declined. The fluoridation promoters would attribute this to fluoridation. However, cavities have declined in both the fluoridated cities and the unfluoridated cities. Dental health statistics are showing a trend of increasingly less difference between the fluoridated and the unfluoridated regions. Dr. Bruce Spittle, in the November, 1999 issue of Fluoride magazine, reviews this trend of convergence of the statistics.

A Study published in the New York State Dental Journal by Kumar and Green in 1998 finds little difference in the degree of dental decay of children's teeth in Newburgh, a fluoridated city, and Kingston, an unfluoridated city. The children in Newburgh have about twice the rate of dental fluorosis. Newburgh was the first demonstration city for fluoridation and Kingston was the control. Newburgh has been fluoridated since 1945.

An article in the Boston Globe, November 27, 1999, reports a public health dental crisis in Boston. The rate of untreated cavities among Boston students was reported as four times the national average. In a 1996 dental survey, about 90 percent of 107 Boston high school students needed dental treatment. In a similar dental screening of students in the Boston area in 1997, 44 percent had obvious tooth decay and 11 percent had gum disease. Dental public health officers are planning a major campaign to improve dental health in the Boston area. Boston has had fluoridation since 1978.

Senator Thibaudeau sponsored a mandatory fluoridation bill in the current Washington State Legislature. Senator Thibaudeau wrote, "My interest in supporting this legislation is rooted in a trip I took last fall with other legislators to visit rural health care providers. We found a rural health care system in crisis, desperately needing a boost."

In a letter to the Spokane Spokesman-Review, Betty Fowler wrote, "Why is Senator Thibaudeau ignoring the dental crisis in her home town of Seattle, fluoridated since 1970? The Seattle P-I, June 3, 1997, reported that John Caron, chief, dental services, Seattle-King County Health Department, gave dental exams to children at Highland Park Elementary. By the end of the morning he found that 60 percent of the children had cavities! Wasn't fluoridation supposed to prevent this?"

These are some examples of the historical trend of convergence in comparing the fluoridated cities with the unfluoridated cities. Fluoridation made a difference in the early cavity statistics, at least for a few years. The incidence of cavities has gradually declined for many years in the developed countries whether the water was fluoridated or not. This process of convergence is reviewed by Bruce Spittle, M.D. in Fluoride, 1999.

For further reading:

Bruce Spittle, "Unraveling the fabric of fluoridation thread by thread," Fluoride, November, 1999, pp. 199-200.

Safe Water Coalition of Washington State, 5615 W. Lyons Ct., Spokane, WA 99208-3874, (509) 328-6704.

New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation, P.O. Box 263, Old Bethpage, NY 11804-0263, (516) 378-7309.

JV Kumar and EL Green, "Recommendations for fluoride use in children. A review," New York State Dental Journal, February, 1998, pp. 40-47.

Fluoridation began in Las Vegas on March 1, 2000. The people will vote on whether they want to continue fluoridation at the next election. The election will be in about three months.

The Connersville City Council recently vote to fluoridate the city's water. James B. Gerni, a chiropractor, sued in small claims court. He seeks $3,000 for the cost of defluoridation equipment for his home. In his claim he stated, "Water fluoridation is not FDA approved, a specific poison, raises metal levels when cooking and is harmful to my family." He is demanding a jury trial.

Senate Bill 6665 mandating fluoridation in Washington State died in the Ways & Means committee last night. Mike Easeley eat your heart out. Thanks to multiple phone calls, faxes, personal visitations from loyal anti-fluoridationists. Anne personally contacted very influential persons and they personally contacted the Committee Chairman and all our anti-fluoridationists kept the phone ringing until midnight last night, and lit fires under backsides of our supporters..

It will probably arise again in the next session. Just imagine, this Bill declared dental caries as an emergency threatening the welfare of the State, peace and good order. They included baby bottle tooth decay as related to lack of fluoridation.

Thank you to all who helped in our successful fight. WE WON!

Anne & Richard