As the Missouri House and Senate consider the fiscal year 2023 budget for the state of Missouri, Delta Dental of Missouri, a non-profit and the state’s dental benefits leader, strongly encourages the support of $825,000 for the Office of Dental Health Fluoridation Pilot Program.
This funding will initiate the Innovative Technology Pilot Project with a new fluoridation technology making community water fluoridation simpler, accessible and attainable for distressed areas.
Currently, 36 Missouri counties are without fluoridated water systems. All are rural and 16 are in high-need areas experiencing a dentist shortage. Statewide, more than 1,100 water utilities, serving nearly 1.5 million people, don’t put fluoride in the water. Research shows fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay, and one of the most equitable means for delivering fluoride to all community members.
Rob Goren
St. Louis
NOTES:
1. Goren’s credentials, president & CEO of Delta Dental of Missouri, were not included in this letter. They were included in a similar letter published in The Missourian.
2. The $825,000 for the Office of Dental Health Fluoridation Pilot Program is included in Missouri’s General Assembly House Bill 3010.
Note: There are now three published letters from Rob Goren:
April 11:Letter: State needs to help rural counties lacking fluoridation, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
April 8: Letter: Missouri should support fluoride, News Press Now
April 7: Letter: Community water fluoridation protects Missourians’ oral health, Columbia Missourian
*Original letter online at https://www.newspressnow.com/opinion/your_letters/your-letters-april-8-3033/article_a316963a-b685-11ec-9856-7ba169a6771e.html
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