OregonianEdit5-3-07

The gap in Oregon's smile – Those trips to the dentist might not be so long and costly if lawmakers made water fluoridation a state priority

The Oregonian – May 3, 2007

Oregon isn't known for its movie star teeth, unless you count horror movies.

Children here are significantly more likely to have decaying teeth than the national average, and their parents have a higher rate of missing teeth than adults in other states. It doesn't seem to matter that Oregon children use dental sealants more often, or that Oregon adults visit the dentist at close to the national rate:

Our teeth just keep rotting, spurred on by two giant gaps in the state's health care system.

First, Oregon ranks 48th in the nation for fluoridating its water. Residents of Portland, Gresham, Hillsboro and scores of other cities go without. State lawmakers may address this problem by voting on a fluoride bill as soon as this week.

Second, Oregon skimps on dental care for low-income children, falling below the national average for access to preventive dental care.

Lawmakers who want to control the state's spiraling health care costs, reduce out-of-pocket dental costs and address a major social inequity should seize the opportunity to do so this spring.

Fluoride, which exists naturally in some water supplies and is added to others, prevents tooth decay by strengthening enamel. People who drink fluoridated water are less likely to get cavities than people who merely use fluoride toothpaste. (Toothpaste rinses off, while fluoridated water stays in the saliva and bathes the teeth all day long.)

This treated water benefits all citizens, rich or poor. Every dollar spent on fluoridated water prevents $38 in dental care, according to the American Dental Association.

This is why a majority of Americans drink fluoridated water and support fluoridation. It's also why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks fluoridation as one of the top 10 public health achievements of the last century, along with the polio vaccine.

Yet Oregon's lips remain sealed. Cities that are part of regional water systems can't easily make a local decision to fluoridate. At the state level, a small but relentless number of fluoride opponents bully legislators into killing bills year after year.

Oregon citizens have the bad teeth to prove it.

House Bill 3099 would require water suppliers serving more than 10,000 people to add fluoride. This bill is not a state mandate: It specifically exempts suppliers that lack the start-up funds. It's more of a nonbinding resolution that sets a goal and makes it easier for cities to inch toward fluoridation.

This bill has inspired creative testimony from opponents who claim, for example, that fluoride causes cancer and can lead to the amputation of children's limbs. Yet fluoridation has the support of the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society and nearly every major medical group in Oregon, including those representing pediatricians, rural doctors, family doctors, nurses and dentists.

These medical experts have peered inside enough mouths to see the difference between people who drink fluoridated water and those who don't. They also know the negative effects of poor oral health on heart problems, respiratory conditions, pregnancy and diabetes.

They're not aiming for movie star smiles. They'd simply like Oregon legislators to end their long tradition of ambivalence toward the value of decent teeth.