Statesman Journal –April 4, 2007
Officials renew debate about mandated fluoridation
Bills have stalled in the past three legislative sessions
BY JULIA SILVERMAN – The Associated Press
Oregon's perennial tug-of-war about adding fluoride to the water supply in cities with more than 10,000 residents resurfaced Tuesday at the state Capitol, with a familiar cast of adversaries facing off about the benefits and risks of mandated fluoridation.
Two-thirds of the U.S. population drinks from fluoridated water supplies, which dentists have long said helps to curb tooth decay.
In Oregon, though, only 41 water systems fluoridate, leaving the state ahead of only New Jersey and Hawaii in the percentage of residents who drink fluoridated water.
Fluoridation bills have stalled in the past three legislative sessions, but proponents are hoping their cause falls on more sympathetic ears this year.
In front of the House Health Policy subcommittee Tuesday, Gordon Empey, a dentist who works as a consultant to the state Department of Human Services, said tooth decay can be reduced by 18 to 40 percent with fluoridation of community drinking water.
It also is cost-effective, Empey said, citing a recent study showing that Oregonians who don't drink fluoridated water spend $15 million a year on preventable tooth decay work.
But fluoride opponents – a loose-knit coalition of local control advocates, environmentalists and small-government proponents – argue that research is beginning to show that the health benefits of fluoride have been overstated.
