Fluoride in Sacramento’s water was a hot topic during a Sacramento City Council budget discussion Tuesday night. Several members of the public, including dentists, a school nurse and local public health officer urged the City Council to keep fluoride in the city’s drinking water supply.

Management Partners, a consulting group hired by the city, suggests that the city stop fluoridating its water supply. The firm states that if the city cuts water fluoridation from its budget, it could retain $836,000 each year.

The city has a $43 million budget gap.

Glennah Trochet, a health officer with Sacramento County’s Public Health Division, told the City Council that water fluoridation is “one of the great successes of public health.”

Pauline Tracey, a school nurse at Hiram Johnson High School in Sacramento, said fluoridating water helps protect young people’s teeth. “This is an effective, beneficial…way to prevent both decay and promote the dental health of our students and the community at large.”

Read a list of upcoming city budget meetings here

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