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Web posted September 25, 2007

Dueling guest columns published as election approaches:

My Turn: This is fluoridation? This is madness
If the Food and Drug Administration doesn't approve, why should we?

by Grant Ritter, former City Water Utility Superintendent

Maybe you've read the Juneau Smiles folks' information pamphlet on why Juneau needs fluoride in our drinking water. Hopefully the following information will assist in better understanding this issue.Juneau Smiles says: "Water fluoridation: simple adjustments to the fluoride that occurs naturally in water."

But the addition of sodium fluoride is adding a chemical that is highly toxic to nature. Just look at the requirements for its disposal at www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Sodium_fluoride-9927595.

Juneau Smiles also says: "Community water fluoridation benefits everyone, especially those without access to regular dental care."

Everyone? Not according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Go online to www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/other/spplmnt_schdl.htm, and you will find the dietary fluoride supplement schedule whose table shows the appropriate fluoride dosage per age group, depending on the drinking water's fluoride ion level in parts per million.

According to the Web site: birth to 6 months should receive no fluoride; children 6 months to 3 years should receive 0.25 milligrams of fluoride a day if the drinking water is less than 0.3 ppm; children 3 to 6 years old can receive 0.25 mg a day if the drinking water is 0.3 to 0.6 ppm, and 0.5 mg a day if the water is less than 0.3 ppm; and those 6 to 16 years may receive 0.5 mg a day if the drinking water is 0.3 to 0.6 ppm, and 1 mg a day if the water is less than 0.3 ppm.

It is suggested that only children living in nonfluoridated areas use dietary fluoride supplements between the ages of 6 months to 16 years. Your physician or dentist can prescribe the correct dosage for your child based on the following considerations.

A complete fluoride history should include all of your child's sources of fluoride. Don't forget all water sources, or the amount and frequency of fluoridated toothpaste used when brushing teeth.

There it is straight from the CDC. My question here is, "Huh?" They want the drinking water dosed from 0.7mg/L to 1.2mg/L. How's this supposed to work? Will this require all parents to calculate total fluoride intake for themselves and their children? It seems so. Who is going to have the time and ability to do that?

Did you know the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology has classified fluoride as an unapproved dental medicament due to its high toxicity?

Did you also know the Food and Drug Administration considers fluoride an unapproved new drug for which there is no proof of safety or effectiveness? The FDA does not consider fluoride an essential nutrient.

What? Not an essential nutrient? You wouldn't guess that from reading the Juneausmiles.org pamphlet. They make fluoridation sound like something you'd want to get all of your friends for their birthday.

Help end this madness by voting no to Proposition 2 on Oct. 2.

Grant Ritter is a former city Water Utility Superintendent and resident of Juneau.

My Turn: Don't throw the baby teeth out with the bath water of fear
by George W. Brown, Pediatrician

The people who will gain the most from a Yes vote on Proposition 2 on Oct. 2 are children. This is especially so for those among us whose families are poor and without access to doctors and dentists. When Proposition 2 passes, Juneau will resume safe and effective prevention of tooth decay.

The element, fluorine, is present widely in all of earth's crust as the fluoride ion. Small amounts are present in all of earth's water sources, including Juneau's. The U.S. Public Health Service has measured water levels of fluoride since 1950. This research confirms levels between 0.7 and 1.2 parts per million (ppm) prevent tooth decay and the cosmetic condition, dental fluorosis. Numerous research publications continue to show the safety and effectiveness of these fluoride levels in water. Research continues to show the natural fluoride levels in the oceans range between 1.2 and 1.4 ppm. Because many communities like Juneau have lower natural levels, supplemental fluoride added as a public health measure provides effective and safe tooth decay prevention.

Great grandparents and some grandparents of our children lived (and still live) with severe tooth decay and dentures before water fluoridation started in the 1940's. Extensive research by dental and public health scientists since show water fluoridation to be the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay. It is a peer-reviewed and evidence-based scientific measure that extends tooth decay prevention through the natural occurrence of fluoride in earth's crust and oceans.

Adults and senior citizens also benefit by continued water fluoridation where natural levels are below the 0.7 to 1.2 ppm range. Numerous research articles show the best prevention of tooth decay is achieved by drinking fluoride in the water from birth through life. Sodium fluoride tablets prescribed by dentists and doctors are safe and effective from 6 months to 16 years for children who live in communities with low natural fluoride levels and without water fluoridation. Topical fluoride in toothpaste and rinses provide further tooth decay prevention for children and adults. There is abundant proof that fluoride at natural levels and accurate doses is safe and effective. The American Dental Association's recent recommendation was that fluoridated water not be used only for infants (birth to 1 year old) who are fed with powdered formula. This does not apply to breast fed infants and those receiving pre-mixed liquid formulas. It is safe and effective to give fluoride drops and tablets in the prescribed, correct dose starting at 6 months of life.

Children remain dependent on adults for access to oral fluoride prescriptions and dental treatment. Many children live with families who have no means or access for such prescriptions or dental care. Please vote Yes on Proposition 2 to resume Juneau water fluoridation for all citizens, especially for all children.

George W. Brown is a pediatrician and Douglas resident.