Arthur Bobrove and wife Helen lived in Palo Alto for almost 40 years before he and Helen moved to Los Altos in 2018. Helen never had issues with her teeth, he said, but after living in Los Altos for six years, she was encouraged by her dentist to receive fluoride treatments.
“She noted she had more cavities, two which needed to be extracted and (needed) implants,” he said in a phone call.
Arthur was surprised when he saw, unlike Palo Alto, Los Altos postal codes are receiving barely fluoridated water. According to Santa Clara Valley Water, which provides water to various water suppliers in Santa Clara County, buildings in 94022 and 94024 zip codes are provided sub-optimally or partially fluoridated water. Water fluoridation numbers in Los Altos vary from 0 to .18 parts per liter, the number averaging out to .11 parts per liter.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fluoridation is done to increase overall oral health of a community as it prevents cavities, decreases disparities related to oral health and saves money. The CDC-recommended level of fluoridation is 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water.
Arthur added that he reached out to the Rinconada Water Treatment Plant, which treats water for communities including Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View, and was told by a representative that no additional fluoride is added to the water, and will not be added, until 2029.
Fluoride is a natural mineral found in groundwater and water from rivers, streams and snowmelt; cities began adding it to drinking water as early as 1945.
While Arthur was concerned about his wife’s wellbeing, he said he was most concerned about the impact that it would have on children, who develop their adult teeth during childhood.
In 2016, Santa Clara Valley Water joined a nationwide push from public water suppliers to increase fluoride levels to prevent tooth decay based on the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water and CDC guidelines. These guidelines would increase the fluoride level in water to the CDC’s recommended fluoridation number, according to Valley Water.
Children especially benefit from the mineral as they develop, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry encourages children between six months and 16 years old have a daily source of fluoride; where fluoride is unavailable, dentists may encourage children to take fluoride supplements.
“It is a generally accepted fact that the greatest impact of drinking water with low levels of fluoride is on children,” he wrote in a letter to the Town Crier. “Los Altos families, like those in surrounding communities, deserve the highest standard of water fluoridation.”
Original article online at: https://www.losaltosonline.com/news/low-fluoride-levels-in-los-altos-water-cause-dental-concern/article_82fb0680-4ea7-11ef-a668-f73c839095a9.html