Dear Editor:

Removing fluoride from the public drinking water will negatively impact residents of the Boothbay region in more ways than one. But, with the snowballing of misinformation online, it is important to first understand what is actually at stake and factually correct.

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can be found in low or high levels depending on the water source. Community water fluoridation adjusts the amount of fluoride in the drinking water, through rigorous testing, to a level that will prevent tooth decay and fluorosis. This is a safe, well-studied, and closely monitored threshold. In fact, the U.S. Public Health Service has lowered the recommended level as more fluoride-containing products have been introduced to the market. What started as a means to combat rampant tooth decay in the early 20th century has safeguarded children and adults for decades from early tooth loss and other crippling sequelae.

And the vote to continue fluoridating the public water supply comes at a critical time for dentistry in Maine. With increasing workforce shortages and practice closures, dentists and their team members are already pressed to serve their patients. Fluoride from the drinking water has both topical and systemic benefits, contrary to what the opposition has published. This can provide relief to current access gaps. In children, fluoride helps strengthen enamel in developing teeth, and in adults, works to remineralize damaged teeth and reverse the early stages of decay. It would be unfair- almost unethical- to suddenly strip a basic public health measure when so many unmet dental needs exist across the state. Even if residents opted to use their own well water, they would still benefit from eating foods and drinking beverages processed in a fluoridated community and have fewer cavities over time.

I encourage you to ask questions but do so with the right information. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American Dental Association provide up-to-date materials and supplemented the background above. On behalf of the Maine Dental Association, I urge you to keep fluoride in the public water supply.

Adam Saltz, DMD, MS, MPH

Maine Dental Association