Portage and South Haven are among four Michigan communities that have received state grants for new fluoridation equipment.
Portage has received $24,000 toward new equipment and South Haven has received $11,216. The cities of Monroe and Clare also received funding, according to a Michigan Department of Community Health press release.
In Michigan, 90 percent of the population has access to fluoridated drinking water through community water systems, according to the MDCH. Community water fluoridation means “adjusting the natural fluoride concentration of a community’s water supply to a level that is best for the prevention of dental cavities,” the press release stated.
The grant program allows communities needing new or updated fluoride equipment to apply for funding based on “need, population size, evidence of fluoridation approval from their community and inclusion of all requested information,” the press release stated.
The grant program is in its fourth year, and the grants were funded by a $100,000 donation from the Delta Dental Foundation.
“Water fluoridation benefits all residents of a community and it has demonstrated its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay throughout one’s lifetime,” Dr. Matthew Davis, MDCH chief medical executive, said in the press release.
*Original article online at http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/06/portage_south_haven_receive_st.html
Print 
PDF