The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor City council had no response last week as their controversial decision to end water fluoridation was again criticized by a dental expert. Dr. Joel Antel, president of the Manitoba Dental Association, wrote council a lengthy letter touting what he sees as the virtues of fluoridation. But there was no indication council is prepared to backtrack on their vote more than seven months ago to yank the cavity-fighting compound from the public water supply. 'More than 100 government agencies and national and international professional health organizations support water fluoridation,' wrote Dr. Antel. 'These agencies include the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Canada and both the Canadian and American Dental Associations among others. 'They all agree that adding fluoride to drinking water at recommended levels (0.7 mg per litre of water) reduces tooth decay. In Canada, studies proving this date back to 1945 in Brantford, Ontario. Over 50 years of extensive worldwide research has demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation in reducing the incidence of dental decay. Fluoride prevents tooth decay. 'Today in Manitoba almost 95 per cent of the population supplied by a public water supply source receives fluoridated water. Fluoride works both typically and systematically to prevent tooth decay by increasing the resistance of tooth enamel to dental decay. 'Fluoride has been proven over and over again to reduce dental decay in children by approximately 18-40 percent. Water fluoridation is the most important public health measure used to effectively and inexpensively counteract the disease! With every dollar spent on adding fluoride to the public water supply it is estimated that $38 is saved in the cost of dental treatment. 'Furthermore, concerns by some suggest that water fluoridation is toxic and harmful is false. There is no scientific evidence to support these allegations. The recommended level of fluoride added to the water supply has a built-in margin of safety that takes into consideration the use of fluoride from other sources on the most vulnerable age group in the population (22-36 months). 'Said additions of fluoride do not cause adverse health effects (such as cancer or a risk for bone fractures). Of the thousands of credible scientific studies on fluoridation, none has shown health problems associated with the consumption of optimally fluoridated water. See 'Child...' on pg. 11 Continued from pg. 7 'Water fluoridation not only allows fluoride uptake by the enamel of the unerupted developing teeth but also provides fluoride uptake by the enamel of erupted teeth through saliva. 'Although water fluoridation has been proven to benefit all residents of the community, the population that benefit the most are children, seniors and the hardest to reach - the poor, for whom other preventative measures may not be accessible. Dental disease is the number one chronic disease among children and adolescents in North America. 'Not all countries provide their citizens with fluoride through water fluoridation. Instead, many countries choose to fluoridate their salt or milk instead. Other examples of additives used to achieve population-wide health benefits include: adding Vitamin D to milk to maintain healthy bones; folic acid to breakfast cereals to reduce the risk of babies being born with neural tube defects; or iodine into salt for thyroid health; and public health measures such as smoking restrictions, compulsory seat belts and immunization. 'The Manitoba Dental Association supports fluoridation of community drinking water. We believe that fluoridated water is safe, helps prevent tooth decay, and is the most cost effective way to prevent dental disease in the general population.'
