USA - Dentists want city to resume adding fluoride to water

BEDFORD — Fluoride has long been proclaimed by dentists, physicians and water treatment experts as a great means of ensuring dental health in an area’s citizenship. In 2003, Bedford was honored for maintaining an optimal level of fluoride in the city drinking water by the Indiana State Department of Health. About a year and a half ago, however, the water filtration plant ceased feeding powdered fluoride into the water system. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any fluoride in the water, though, and city officials have been diligently seeking a long-term solution. “We are looking at every option we have to come up with a feed system that will work,” said Eric Flinn, the superintendent at the Bedford Water Filtration Plant. He’s been talking to doctors and dentists in the area over the last few weeks, trying to make sure everyone is aware of the situation. Since the filtration plant was renovated in 2000, there have been chronic problems with the method used to add fluoride to Bedford’s water. “We have very hard water here in Lawrence County,” Flinn said. “The powdered fluoride draws the hardness out of the water.” Simply put, the powdered fluoride caused the limestone and calcium in the water to solidify, lining supply pipes and equipment with that white, chalky substance many locals are familiar with. There are other options, such as using a liquid acid fluoride, which is more expensive. “I called my chemical supplier, and he said he couldn’t guarantee we would get any fluoridic acid for the next two years,” Flinn said, adding that it was shortly after Hurricane Katrina when he asked. Many suppliers of fluoridic acid are from the area affected by the storm and have since returned to more normal levels of production. Flinn said the most probable solution available would be to build an additional building at the filtration plant, which would be dedicated to a fluoride feeding system. “We are looking at what other municipalities in the area are doing about this problem,” said Mayor Joe Klumpp. “What we are finding is that it is a very costly endeavor.” While the initial cost may be high, those in the medical field say the payoff is worth the investment. “It’s really been proven very effective and cost effective for preventing tooth decay,” said Leila Alter, a local dentist, referring to fluoridating water. “Fluoride helps make teeth more resistant to decay, and also interferes with the development of plaque.” According to the American Dental Association, it has been calculated that the lifetime costs per person to fluoridate a water system is less than the cost of one dental filling. Alter said since she started practicing dentistry in Lawrence County in 1999, she’s witnessed an increase in the amount of young children with tooth decay, or the chronic disease called “dental caries.” She’s convinced maintaining the proper amount of fluoride in the drinking water would help. “The goal is to get the fluoride back in the water,” Alter said. Another consideration is the amount of fluoride ingested daily from sources other than drinking water. According to www.fluoridealert.com, since Sulfuryl Fluoride was approved by the federal government for use in food production facilities, the amount of fluoride in regularly-ingested products has increased dramatically. Some municipalities nationally are looking at stopping the fluoridation of their water supplies because of increased cases of dental fluorosis, or white spotting in the teeth caused by too much fluoride. Plus, Flinn noted, the local water supply has a natural content of between .4 and .6 parts per million, or per milligram per liter of water. There is no mandate for municipalities to include fluoride in the water, but the Environmental Protection Agency dictates that a health limit should be between .7 and 1.2 ppm, if fluoride is added. “It’s hard to justify the expense for something that’s not mandated,” Klumpp said. Especially when there is some naturally occurring fluoride — the best kind — already in the water. That doesn’t mean Klumpp is turning away from the issue. “We are looking into it,” he said. Local physician George Sorrells urged the area medical community to be patient with city officials while they work to find a solution. “I would rather have teeth that have white spots on them from too much fluoride, than teeth that are rotting,” Sorrells said. “A big problem is that we have no good way of reliably measuring the fluoride that youngsters are ingesting.” He would err on the side of caution when it comes to young tooth development. “Good, preventative dentistry and immunization have been two of the major factors in improving children’s health in the last 100 years,” Sorrells said. “If you have a good, sound mouth of teeth, it’s so much better for you.” Times-Mail Staff Writer Jason Mullis can be reached at 277-7260, or by e-mail at jmullis@tmnews.com .