An Oregon dentist will be in Prince George next week to explain why he thinks fluoridation in water is no longer needed.
Dr. Bill Osmunson will appear in the Nechako Room at the Coast Inn of the North on Sunday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m. and will also make a presentation to city council the next night.
According to a video from Osmunson posted on YouTube, we already receive enough fluoride from our toothpaste and the additional fluoride we take in from other sources, such as fluoridated water supplies, is creating health problems.
He also advises against swallowing toothpaste while brushing teeth.
The city has had fluoridated water since about 1951 but there has been some controversy over the years.
Following the installation of new fluoride injection equipment at a cost of $500,000, the substance was reintroduced in the western Bowl and College Heights areas in 2001.
In answer to concerns about fluoridation at the time, then-mayor Colin Kinsley was against holding a referendum on the matter saying “it’s too important to have a negative result because of fear.”
And Dr. Lorna Medd, the public health officer at the time, said although Prince George has among the worst statistics in most health matters, “we have better dental health than communities without fluoridation.”
But last month, Fort St. John city council voted to stop fluoridating the city’s water supply and, according to local health advocate Dave Fuller, that leaves just Prince George and six other smaller communities in B.C. as the lone standouts.
Print 
PDF