It has been brought to my attention that the Town of Oakville/Halton Region is considering the removal of fluoride from the water supply.

I have learned of this from reading the articles on the topic, primarily from the anti-fluoride group, in The Oakville Beaver.

I am a resident of Oakville, in the Clearview area for more than 20 years and my wife and I have raised our two, now-grown, children in Oakville.

I am troubled that this issue has now come to light in my own community and that serious consideration will be given to the removal of fluoride from the water supply.

The scientific evidence and experts in the field are strongly in support of water fluoridation as a means to prevent dental cavities.

The removal of fluoride will put the future children of Oakville and Halton at greater risk for developing cavities, especially those from lower-income groups.

The graduate program in pediatric dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry is a strong supporter of water fluoridation and would consider it a dental/public-health tragedy if the Town and Region decided to remove fluoride from the drinking water.

The public should put its trust in the academic community, which is given the task of independently reviewing scientific evidence and undertaking new studies to ensure the public does have access to the best evidence-based healthcare.

The graduate program in pediatric dentistry at the University of Toronto strongly supports continued water fluoridation for the Region of Halton due to the overwhelming scientific evidence in its favour regarding the prevention of dental caries (decay).

Editor’s Note: Dr. Sigal provided, with his letter, an outline of key points regarding fluoride in our water supply, presented in a question-and-answer format and noted they are fully supported by the best published scientific evidence available.

This information has been provided to the Halton Health Department in preparation for the upcoming meeting of Halton Regional Council on Jan. 31.

See Letter in response

Print PDF