Overview:
– Wyandotte holds first of two public hearings on water fluoridation before Oct. 22 vote.
– The city’s lack of water fluoridation was flagged in a state report on Wyandotte’s drinking water system in April.
– Wyandotte halted water fluoridation in 2015, but the city website did not reflect this until June.
Water fluoridation is grounded in science, a dentist told a Wyandotte commission Wednesday — a decade after the city quietly dropped the additive from its drinking water.
Dr. Steven Legel, a dentist working in Lincoln Park, said fluoridation is important for protecting the teeth of both children and adults, giving the example of his father, who lost his teeth and wore dentures.
“As you make your decisions, you should realize that the science overwhelmingly supports the proper amount of fluoride in the drinking water for nutritional and for dental health,” Legel told the Wyandotte Municipal Services Commission.
U.S. medical groups overwhelmingly endorse water fluoridation as an inexpensive and effective means of protecting oral health and preventing problems like dental abscesses.
Some research showing fluoridation is associated with lower IQs casts doubt on the practice.
Margherita Fontana, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry questioned the quality of these studies, which involved fluoride levels more than two times higher than what is recommended for U.S. drinking water.
Dentist highlights Calgary’s 360-degree turn on fluoride
Steve Abercrombie, a Wyandotte resident, expressed concern Wednesday about the source of fluoride during Wednesday’s meeting and said water fluoridation is unnecessary.
“If you simply use a fluoride toothpaste twice a day, it’s more than enough to accomplish what fluoride would normally do without ingesting it into your entire system,” he said.
Dr. Christopher Gorecki, a dentist and spokesperson for the Michigan Dental Association, drew the officials’ attention to the example of Calgary, Alberta, which removed fluoride from its water in 2011 and saw an increase in dental cavities in children.
A University of Calgary study looked at approximately 2,600 second-grade students in Edmonton and Calgary, finding 64.8% of Calgary children had one or more cavities in their baby teeth compared to 55.1% in Edmonton.
In 2021, 62% of Calgary voters supported reintroduction of fluoride, and the city began adding it to drinking water again this year.
Judy Maiga, a community organizer whose husband is a dentist in Lincoln Park, said residents should tell their dentists they live in Wyandotte, adding there are extra precautions residents can take to protect their dental health.
Maiga started a petition in September in support of restoring fluoride to Wyandotte’s water supply that has garnered 101 signatures.
Wyandotte commission to vote on fluoridation later this month
The Wyandotte Municipal Services Commission will meet again on Wednesday, Oct. 22 and vote on the future of drinking water fluoridation at the close of the meeting.
Wyandotte Municipal Services General Manager Paul LaManes previously told Planet Detroit the commission and Wyandotte City Council would coordinate with EGLE on the city’s plan for water fluoridation by Oct. 31.
An April 30 drinking water system survey by the state found “significant deficiencies” with Wyandotte Municipal Services’ treatment, distribution, and storage of drinking water as well as problems with the system’s oversight.
The report did not connect these issues to the pollution of the Detroit Riverby a contaminated BASF site upstream.
The state report said if there is prolonged interruption in fluoridation, “it is imperative for the water supply to notify the public so residents can make informed decisions about their oral health.”
The change to fluoridation in Wyandotte was not publicized, except for technical information in the city’s annual water quality reports, according to a May 29 letter from the city to EGLE’s drinking water division.
The information in the water quality reports was contradicted by the city’s website until June.
?? Civic next steps: How you can get involved
Why it matters
? Medical groups overwhelmingly endorse water fluoridation as an inexpensive and effective means of protecting oral health and preventing problems like dental abscesses. If fluoride is removed from a water system, residents may need to take extra precautions.
Who’s making civic decisions
?? The Wyandotte Municipal Services Commission, which oversees the city’s water system, will decide on fluoridation.
How to take civic action now
- ? Attend the Wyandotte Municipal Services Commission meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 in council chambers at Wyandotte City Hall, 3200 Biddle Ave.
- ? Email Wyandotte’s Municipal Service Commissioners.
- ?? Mail: Wyandotte Municipal Services General Manager, 3200 Biddle Ave., 2nd Floor, Wyandotte, MI 48192.
- ? Ask the commissioners whether they plan to restore fluoridation of Wyandotte’s drinking water.
What to watch for next
?? The Wyandotte Municipal Services Commission will decide on the water fluoridation issue at the end of its Oct. 22 meeting, and the city has said it will communicate a fluoride plan to the state by Oct. 31.
Civic impact
? Following and weighing on water fluoridation in Wyandotte could help the commission make decisions that reflect resident and expert input.
Original article online at: https://planetdetroit.org/2025/10/wyandotte-fluoride-decision/