Dental Health Imaging, Jobs, Education & Resources

The most compelling argument for water fluoridation is about relieving pain and suffering through public health policy.

Because most of us who read newspapers and think philosophical thoughts about free choice do not see the face of suffering, we don't even consider it.

Most people I know who are against water fluoridation have the advantage of privilege and education.

They take measures for their families to safeguard their teeth.

Having a cavity for them, and for me for that matter, is about going to the dentist and being told there is a cavity and having it promptly treated.

So when proponents of public health measures talk about preventing cavities, it might seem like a trivial matter. However, those of us who serve the poor see a reality that most in our socioeconomic class never see.

We see kids with their teeth rotten down to inflamed gums, who come to see us because their mouths hurt and they can't sleep and they can't eat without pain.

Many of my patients live in Beaverton, where water fluoridation started in 2004.

Before that time, I sent one or two kids to the hospital every month to have dental work under general anesthesia.

Their cavities became apparent because of their suffering, not because a dentist noticed a dark spot on their teeth.

Since a few years after water fluoridation started in Beaverton, I have been sending only one or two kids in an entire year for this type of procedure.

This face of suffering is still out there in Portland.

Without insurance or cash, it is almost impossible to get dental care.

Poverty restricts many freedoms, including freedom from suffering because of dental disease.

As a community, we can address this inequity in Portland with water fluoridation.

I have been scrupulously reading fluoride science for 10 years.

I have read thousands of pages about every imaginable disease.

None of them has been shown to be caused by water fluoridation at the level of 0.7 milligrams/liter.

Fluoride, like zinc and copper, has an optimal level of consumption for good health.

Too little or too much can result in ill health effects.

In Portland, the level of fluoride in the water is about 0.1 milligrams/liter, which is too little.

In the United States, we have vast experience involving hundreds of millions of people for more than 60 years who have experienced optimal water fluoridation.

Through scrupulous epidemiological surveillance, we know it is safe, and we know precisely what the optimum fluoride level is for drinking water.

All products we add to the water are carefully monitored for purity.