MARSHALL COUNTY, Ky. — House Bill 103 could make water fluoridation optional by bringing it to the local level. However, local leaders have differing opinions about the bill.
Kentucky requires all water utilities that serve over 3,000 customers to add a low amount of fluoride to the water to help prevent dental diseases.
Shannon Elam, the general manager of the North Marshall Water District, said removing fluoride from the water system would not affect the dental health of his nearly 18,000 customers.
“There are so many new technologies and new products out there that really, you don’t really have to have [fluoride] in the water anymore because you can get it through your toothpaste, and there are a lot of products that you can get it through,” Elam said.
However, Benton dentist David Cassity said he disagrees. He said fluoridated water has helped decrease cavities by 40% to 60%.
“I would be against taking fluoride out of the water because it benefits everybody. It benefits a rich person. It benefits a poor person,” Cassity said. “If we take fluoride out of the water, you’re going to see an immediate increase in cavities in children… They’re going to have a lot more abscesses. They’re going to have a lot more because the decay is going to become much more rampant.”
Cassity said even with yearly dental visits and fluoride toothpaste, fluoride in water is still necessary. He said not only will it affect people’s dental health, but it will also cause families to go to the dentist more frequently.
“We’re going to see an increase in cost to families because they will have to pay more to get their children’s teeth fixed because we’re taking [fluoride] out,” Cassity said.
Elam said that removing fluoride from water would be a cost saver for the water district, resulting in $10,000 to $12,000 in savings.
If the bill were to pass, the governing body of a water utility, such as a board of directors, would vote to either remove or leave the fluoride in the water.
Elam said if the bill passes, he plans to educate his customers about the current fluoridation system and how the water district would operate without adding fluoride.
“I think that’s going to be the job for the utility — to get ahead of it and make sure we’re being transparent and that we are communicating truthful information to our customers,” Elam said.
HB 103 was introduced in early January and will soon be put up for a vote in the House.
Original article online at: https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/news/new-kentucky-bill-could-make-water-fluoridation-optional/article_4a9b4701-0213-40d1-b2f7-139719935d7c.html