Bill Text: HI HR30 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii House Resolution 30

Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Health To Conduct A Study On The Voluntary Use Of Fluoride Supplements By Children And Pregnant Women In The State Of Hawaii And Whether The Voluntary Taking Of Fluoride Supplements Should Be Encouraged By The State.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO. 30

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Requesting the Department of Health to conduct a study on the voluntary use of fluoride supplements by children and pregnant women in the state of Hawaii and whether the voluntary taking of fluoride supplements should be encouraged by the State.

WHEREAS, fluoridation of community water supplies is an effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community water fluoridation is the most cost-effective method of fluoride delivery to people of all ages, education levels, and income levels in a community; and

WHEREAS, many states in the United States place fluoride additives in the public water supply which may skew national fluoride intake and use recommendations as these recommendations are based on national fluoride intake data; and

WHEREAS, artificial water fluoridation, along with oral health education and widespread use of fluoride toothpaste, account for one of the probable reasons for the decline of tooth decay prevalence in most industrialized countries; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii does not have community water fluoridation, increasing the likelihood of fluoride deficiency in the State’s pregnant female population and children; and

WHEREAS, in regions with no community water fluoridation, fluoride supplementation may provide an effective means of increasing fluoride intake in both pregnant women and children; and

WHEREAS, if the taking of fluoride supplements provides the same systemic benefits of water fluoridation in areas without access to a fluoridated drinking water supply resulting in improved neonatal outcomes for pregnant women and improved oral hygiene and the lessening of tooth decay in children, Hawaii should determine if the voluntary use of fluoride supplementation for children and women who are pregnant should be stressed as a way to improve public health; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Department of Health is requested to conduct a study on the voluntary use of fluoride supplements by children and pregnant women in Hawaii to ensure that medical and dental standards for fluoride intake and use are based on conditions where local water supplies are not fluoridated, to assess the public health benefits of taking fluoride supplements, and to determine whether the taking of fluoride supplements should be encouraged by the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any necessary legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2019; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Requests the Department of Health to conduct a study on the voluntary use of fluoride supplements by children and pregnant women in the state of Hawaii to ensure that medical and dental standards for fluoride intake and use are based conditions where local water supplies are not fluoridated, the public health benefits of taking fluoride supplements, and whether the taking of fluoride supplements should be encouraged by the State

HI State Legislature page for HR30

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2018-02-23 – To be offered. [HR30 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HR30-Introduced.html

*Original online at https://legiscan.com/HI/text/HR30/id/1741379/Hawaii-2018-HR30-Introduced.html