CHENEY, Wash. — A group of dental professionals across Spokane County is urging the City of Cheney to reconsider a proposal to remove fluoride from the city’s public water supply. The effort comes roughly a month after Cheney announced it was considering ending water fluoridation.
The city is currently in the middle of a required 90-day public notification process with the Washington State Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water. A public comment session is scheduled for Oct. 13 at Cheney City Hall, with the city council expected to take action afterward.
Dr. Clint Wire, an orthodontist who has practiced in Spokane for the past three years, is a member of the Spokane District Dental Society. The organization represents more than 200 dentists across Spokane County and advocates for improved oral health.
Wire and his colleagues sent a letter to Cheney Mayor Elsa Martin on Friday, urging the city to consider other options before removing fluoride from the water supply.
“We really think this is an important situation,” Wire said.
According to Cheney city officials, several factors led to the proposal, including public concern, aging fluoridation equipment that would require costly replacement and challenges maintaining consistent fluoride levels. Those challenges are partly related to Cheney’s wells, which contain different naturally occurring amounts of fluoride.
The Washington State Department of Health recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter in public drinking water. Wire said maintaining fluoride in the water supply is an important tool for improving oral health, particularly for children and people who have limited access to dental care.
“One of the large ways you can try to give everyone a chance at having the best oral health is to have fluoride in the water,” Wire said.
He said removing fluoride could be particularly concerning in a community such as Cheney, where some residents may face barriers to accessing regular dental care.
“Some patients in some rural areas don’t have the same access to dental care as other areas, and this is just a really quite inexpensive way to help a lot of people, and especially children, have better oral health outcomes,” Wire said.
The dentists’ letter outlines their concerns about removing fluoride and asks to meet with the mayor to discuss potential next steps.
“We’ve tried reaching out several times,” Wire said.
Wire said the dentists hope their letter opens a dialogue between the city and dental professionals before the city council makes a final decision.
“The cost of fluoridation of water is less than one filling, and it may help avoid a mouthful of tooth decay over a lifetime,” Wire said.
KREM 2 reached out to the City of Cheney for a response and is still waiting to hear back.
Original article online at: https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/spokane-county-dentists-urge-cheney-to-keep-fluoride-in-city-water/293-63a17be6-e004-496b-bade-bfc5d47b874f