The capital metropolis of New York State will start to fluoridate its faucet water subsequent yr. The Frequent 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 Frequent Council, the town’s mayors — certainly one of whom referred to as fluoridation “un-American.” — have additionally opposed this widespread sense public well being apply.
As a number of advocates in Albany identified, there may be in all probability no public well being measure that’s extra American than neighborhood water fluoridation. The primary fluoridation research happened within the U.S., and at this time 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 Frequent 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 kids in much less fluoridated counties was 33% larger than in predominantly fluoridated counties.
“Our surrounding cities together with Troy and Schenectady benefit from fluoride within the water provide,” Dr. Whalen stated. “And we all know that the dental well being of kids on Medicaid is best in these cities than that of our [Albany] youngsters on Medicaid.”
Though many of the Council’s dialogue targeted on its advantages to youngsters, it’s value 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, academic attainment, or earnings degree, and that advantages everybody.