News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: August 23, 2004
For more information, contact: Kim Moore, President, 620-662-8586

Value of fluoridation reaffirmed by Surgeon General

Kim Moore, president of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, said the Surgeon General once again affirming the health benefits of community water fluoridation reinforces the grantmaker's commitment to helping Kansans have access to this form of oral health protection.

The Hutchinson-based Health Fund has been focusing on oral health issues in Kansas for the past five years. It has awarded more than $4 million in grants for children's sealant programs, community water fluoridation and other oral health improvement projects. Moore said the Health Fund is still accepting requests and hopes this latest testimony from the Surgeon General will encourage more Kansas towns to apply for a fluoridation grant.

Every U.S. Public Health Service Surgeon General since the 1950s has supported fluoridation and Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., VADM, USPHS, recently issued another endorsement.

He referred to the Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General which states community water fluoridation continues to be the most cost-effective, equitable, and safe means to provide protection from tooth decay. Scientific studies have found that people living in communities with fluoridated water have fewer cavities than those living where the water is not fluoridated.

The number of water supplies to which small amounts of fluoride is added to achieve an optimum level for oral health has steadily grown over the past 50 years and now surpasses 8,000 communities in the United States.

The Surgeon General said a significant advantage of water fluoridation is that all residents of a community can enjoy its protective benefit simply by drinking fluoridated water or beverages and eating foods prepared with it. A person's income level or ability to receive routine dental care is not a barrier to receiving fluoridation's health benefits.

"Water fluoridation is a powerful strategy in our efforts to eliminate differences in health among people and is consistent with my emphasis on the importance of prevention," the Surgeon General emphasized.

Moore pointed out that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the fluoridation of drinking water as one of the ten great public health achievements of the twentieth century.

According to the Surgeon General, an economic analysis has determined that in most communities, every $1 invested in fluoridation saves $38 or more in treatment costs -- making it the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime for both children and adults.

"While we can be pleased with what has already been accomplished, it is clear that there is much yet to be done. Policymakers, community leaders, private industry, health professionals, the media, and the public should affirm that oral health is essential to general health and well being and take action to make ourselves, our families, and our communities healthier," Dr. Carmona said. "I join previous Surgeons General in acknowledging the continuing public health role for community water fluoridation in enhancing the oral health of all Americans."

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