Maine Health Organizations Proclaim Support for Community Water Fluoridation Representatives from 20 major Maine health, public health, and dental health organizations reiterated their support for fluoridation of community drinking water at a press conference Monday at the State House. Representatives from 20 major Maine health, public health, and dental health organizations reiterated their support for fluoridation of community drinking water at a press conference Monday at the State House. “In light of recent concerns arising from misinformation about fluoride disseminated in some Maine communities, we stand here together to assert our long-standing support for what the U.S. CDC declared as one of 10 most successful public health achievements of the 20th Century – community water fluoridation,” announced Dora Anne Mills, MD, MPH, Director of the Maine CDC in the Department of Health and Human Services. “The single most effective way to prevent tooth decay is fluoridation of public water,” said Don Burgess, MD, FAAP, President of the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among our children. It can interfere with children’s ability to learn and do well in school and can lead to a lifetime of ill health, including tooth loss, pain, infections, and poor nutrition. Dental disease is increasingly linked with other illnesses and chronic conditions such as heart disease.” Burgess said the tragedy is that with about half of Maine children suffering from dental disease, virtually all of this is preventable. “Prevention strategies include fluoride, dental sealants, and regular visits to a dental professional,” he added. “Fluoride is found naturally in most water supplies, since it is one of the most common elements in the earth’s crust. Community water systems that fluoridate simply adjust the concentration to the optimal level of fluoride we require for dental health,” said Jonathan Shenkin, DDS, MPH, representing the Maine Dental Association. “The first use of adjusting fluoride in water to prevent dental caries was 62 years ago – in 1945. As a result, tooth decay and tooth loss saw dramatic declines in the United States these past decades. Fluoride in drinking water is effective because it supplies a low dose of fluoride to the surface of teeth that reduces tooth decay, along with incorporation into enamel during early tooth development.” Brian Tarbuck, Assistant General Manager of the Augusta Water District said that Maine’s challenge of assuring adequate fluoride for children is complicated by the number of private wells in the state. “About half of our population gets its drinking water from private wells, not public water supplies,” he said. “Although some private water supplies have sufficient naturally-occurring fluoride, most do not, and supplementation is needed. Public drinking water is the simplest and most cost-effective to assure that our children receive the optimum levels of fluoride for dental health.” Representative Lisa Miller (D-Somerville), who is also a public health professional, noted that all of Maine’s 16 counties deal with a shortage of dental health providers. “This means we in Maine especially need to rely on community prevention measures such as fluoridation.” “Recently, a 12-year-old boy, Deamonte Driver, of Maryland, died from a severe brain infection that appeared to have resulted from untreated dental disease,” added Andrew MacLean, JD, Deputy Executive Vice President of the Maine Medical Association. “This is a tragic wake-up call to the nation that dental disease is an important part of our overall health and very preventable with basic public health measures such as fluoridation and dental care.” “Indeed, if we don’t have good dental health, we’re not healthy and dental health begins with the basic, longstanding, proven public health measure of community water fluoridation,” concluded Dr. Mills. Contact a local dentist to learn more about how to maintain your oral heath!