The capital metropolis of New York State will start to fluoridate its faucet water subsequent 12 months. The Widespread Council in Albany voted 12-0 final month in favor of the proposal, and the mayor has signed the measure. This victory for public well being is a very long time in coming.
Oral well being advocates have tried for many years to persuade metropolis officers to provoke water fluoridation. Though the roadblock was typically the Widespread Council, the town’s mayors — certainly one of whom referred to as fluoridation “un-American.” — have additionally opposed this frequent sense public well being apply.
As a number of advocates in Albany identified, there’s most likely no public well being measure that’s extra American than neighborhood water fluoridation. The primary fluoridation research passed off within the U.S., and at present roughly two-thirds of our nation’s residents have entry to faucet water that’s fluoridated.
Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, the previous well being commissioner of Albany County, was one of many main advocates for water fluoridation. In remarks to the Widespread Council, she referred to as Albany “an unlucky outlier” as the one main metropolis in New York that has by no means supplied fluoridated water to its residents.
Throughout her conversations with council members, Dr. Whalen typically highlighted a 2010 research that examined tooth decay in New York State. This 2010 research in contrast the Medicaid prices of treating tooth decay in counties that had been predominantly fluoridated with the prices in counties that weren’t. This evaluation confirmed that the variety of decay-related procedures for youngsters in much less fluoridated counties was 33% greater than in predominantly fluoridated counties.
“Our surrounding cities together with Troy and Schenectady get pleasure from fluoride within the water provide,” Dr. Whalen mentioned. “And we all know that the dental well being of youngsters on Medicaid is best in these cities than that of our [Albany] kids on Medicaid.”
Though a lot of the Council’s dialogue targeted on its advantages to kids, it’s price noting that 75+ years of expertise in communities all throughout America has supplied proof that it reduces tooth decay in adults too. It’s the most cost-effective technique of delivering fluoride to all members of the neighborhood no matter age, instructional attainment, or revenue stage, and that advantages everybody.
