The Contentious Water Fluoridation Debates Continues…

In early 1930s Dr. H. Trendley Dean of the U.S. National Institutes of Health inadvertently discovered the good that a little fluoride could do while studying the harmful effects of too much fluoride in drinking water. In the Mid-50s studies were conducted in several pairs of North American cities, including Brampton and Sarnia in Ontario with the hypothesis that dental caries (teeth decay) could be prevented by adjusting the fluoride levels of community water supplies. After 13-15 years of conducting sequential cross-sectional surveys in these communities revealed that caries was reduced 50%-70% among children in the communities with fluoridated water adjusted to negligible levels of 1.0-1.2 ppm.

 Many health organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada along with many American and Canadian dental and allied health associations support water fluoridation. These groups support water fluoridation as an important public health measure in the prevention of the number one dental decay chronic disease among children and adolescents.

There are those opposed to fluoridation claiming increased risk for cancer, Down syndrome, heart disease, osteoporosis, low intelligence, and other health conditions with no credible evidence supporting it. Approximately 4% of the world's population uses naturally fluoridated water and even in some locations natural fluoridation exceeds recommended levels, notably some parts of Africa, China, and India. Fluoride does occur naturally in the Bow and Elbow Rivers between 0.1 to 0.4 mg/L. and occurs on earth in several minerals, particularly fluorite, and occurs naturally in the soil, water, and the food we eat.

The debate began for Calgarians voting against adding fluoride to its drinking water three times in 1957, 1961 and 1971. Then in a 1989 plebiscite Calgarians voted in favour of adding fluoride to the city's drinking water and in 1991 fluoride was added to Calgary's drinking water at a target of 1.0 mg/L. A reduction in the level of fluoride to 0.7 mg/L was adopted in 1999 following a second plebiscite where Calgarians again voted in favour of fluoridation. 

With no citizen input, Council directed the City of Calgary to discontinue the addition of fluoride to Calgary's drinking water by May 19, 2011. It seems unfair that Council terminated an effective public health measure that the citizens voted in favour for. I suppose the city was attempting to save money, namely, the annual cost of adding fluoride to Calgary's drinking water was approximately $750,000. In 2011 the city had the additional expense of $6 million needed to upgrade Calgary’s fluoridation systems.

Counselor Jeromy Farkas argues it was not legitimate for council to unilaterally stop water fluoridation after it was brought in through a plebiscite. Farkas also believes it should not be brought in without consulting Calgarians showing support for another plebiscite for fluoridation coinciding with the 2021 municipal election. A comprehensive list of resources, along with Question and Answer material for dentists, on water fluoridation is being complied by CDA in cooperation with Health Canada.

Are you ready for another plebiscite in 2021? Do you want the return of water fluoridation in Calgary’s water? Dentists, WHO, CDC, Health Canada, Alberta Health Services, and many others agree that it helps everyone in a community, especially those of lower socioeconomic status, in preventing dental caries. Healthy teeth reduce discomfort, increase productivity, and the burden on the health care system. A comprehensive list of resources, along with Question and Answer material for dentists, on water fluoridation is being complied by CDA in cooperation with Health Canada. Be ready to vote on the issue of fluoridation in Calgary’s water. Discover the facts about it so you can Make A Difference in the community.