News Archive

When North Baldwin Utilities decided to stop putting fluoride in the water because of studies suggesting health risks, it brought a lot of attention to a chemical many have ingested for years in the Bay Minette Community. Resident Richard O’Neal tells WKRG News 5, “I’ve done the research on both sides of the issue, and […]

A Baldwin County utility company has made a decision that could affect thousands of its customers. North Baldwin Utilities in Bay Minette is removing fluoride from its water supply. The utility company cites medical studies that show fluoride can be harmful to infants and elderly. “It’s not mandated by any state agency that we put […]

A time zone away, in Pagosa Springs, Colo., the community of about 8,000 decided to radically alter its drinking water. It’s not what was added to the water, but what was taken out: fluoride, a compound often put into water to prevent tooth decay. “It was an emotionally-charged decision,” said Gene Tautges, spokesman for the […]

Standing before Pelham’s City Council for its recent Youth Government Day, Kamryn Sherman asked the city to consider putting fluoride in its water system. The issue was simple for the fifth-grader from Valley Intermediate School: Fluoride helps your teeth. But for some grown-ups in Shelby County, placing anything in the water is cause for concern. […]

The Columbiana Water Board has decided not to add fluoride to its water after the majority of customers responding to a survey said they didn’t want it. The decision against fluoridation affects more than 5,000 households and businesses in Columbiana and on two smaller water systems served by its water department. “I think it’s a […]

The issue of whether to add fluoride to three Shelby County municipal water systems will be decided in a public survey the second in as many years. The Columbiana Water Board is asking its customers in a printed questionnaire to answer “yes” or “no” on whether they want fluoridated water to flow to area homes […]

As dentists across Alabama abandoned low-income patients in the last two decades, a few communities took dental matters into their own hands through determination and local, federal and private funding. The dental clinics that their efforts produced are few and far between; only about 20 can be found around the state. But patients and health […]

By one measure, Alabama is doing pretty well on the dental front: More than 80 percent of Alabamians drink water with plenty of fluoride in it. That’s well above the national average, and better than most Southern states. But that percentage is misleading. It’s high because the most heavily populated areas have water with added […]

Searcy Hospital, the state-run mental facility in north Mobile County, has a dentist and two hygienists on staff. They provide regular checkups, cleanings, extractions and other work, said Melanie Beasley, spokeswoman for the state Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. At centers for developmentally disabled and retarded adults around the state, including the Albert […]

The economy remains reasonably good, more people than ever have dental insurance and cosmetic dentistry has caught on with the middle class. Most Alabama dentists are as busy as they want to be. “You can call this the platinum age of dentistry,” said Dr. Mary Lynne Capilouto, dean of the dental school at the University […]