Regional Council previously debated this issue in November of 2008. The decision at that time was to defer further consideration until Health Canada had finished its review of the research literature . It has taken a further 3 years of waiting but at last we do have the benefit of this thorough analysis. Health Canada concluded that fluoridation at the recommended level of .7ppm is safe, and effective in reducing the number of cavities in the general population.
During the last 6 months a steady stream of emails came to my 'in box' imploring me to vote against fluoridation. On the other hand vast amounts of research data also arrived at my home courtesy of our Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Bob Nosal. I also followed the fluoride debates as they popped up around the world from Florida, to Maine and Windsor to Auckland.
The 10 hour marathon meeting was quite extraordinary in that all 20 Regional Councillors were fully engaged throughout the day as delegation after delegation presented their particular point of view. Expert delegates included Dr. Peter Cooney, Chief Dental Officer, Health Canada, Dr. Arlene King, Ontario Chief medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Wood, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, Professor U of T.
The list went on and on of expert advisers who repeatedly reminded us of several pertinent points;
- Dental caries (cavities) is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases and as such it is also associated with many other diseases and poor health
- Scientific evidence must be weighted by its quality and applicability. In brief a study using humans is attributed a higher weight than a study using animals. In the case of fluoride we have ample opportunity to test it with humans.
- Thorough reviews of the literature such as was done by Health Canada conclude that fluoride is effective at reducing cavities and that fluoride at the recommended concentration does not cause the myriad of diseases that are sometimes attributed to it
- 90 national and international health and dental health organizations support fluoridation ( including Health Canada and the World Health Organization)
- Any substance in the wrong dosage can be poisonous. One can literally die from drinking too much water. As Dr. Wood illustrated, a bottle of tylenol pills will kill you but 2 pills will have a beneficial effect by reducing pain. It is all about the appropriate dosage.
- The fluoride in toothpaste should be treated with respect as it is much much more concentrated than what is in the water. So much so that great care should be taken to not swallow it.
- Water fluoridation is the great equalizer in that the poor who do not have dental plans or available funds for dental work benefit the most due to the reduced rate of dental decay.
In the end I chose to support fluoridation of our water supply because I believe it is wise to rely on the advice of experts who were unanimous in their support of the practice. At the same time I asked our MOH Dr. Nosal to revisit the information that we provide in our Pre Natal Classes. I think it is incumbent on us to inform new parents of the hazards of fluoride for infants. They need to know that young children should either use unfluoridated toothpaste or they should use only a very small amount of fluoridated toothpaste where they are taught to never swallow it.
If anyone is interested, the full 10 hours of the meeting can be viewed on the Region's website, http://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=72892
Should you actually take a look at it, I think you will be impressed by desire of Regional Councillors to fully understand the issue and come to an informed decision. Although many think that a health issue of such importance should be the purview of the provincial level of government, I believe that Halton Region handled it exceptionally well.
