Oklahoma

WATER FLUORIDATION STATUS:

• PERCENT OF PEOPLE SERVED BY PUBLIC WATER SYSTEMS THAT ARE FLUORIDATED:
  2018:  67.5% – ranked #33 among the states (100% fluoridated is ranked #1)
  2016:  69.6%
  2014:  62.5%
  2012:  70.1%
  2006:  73.5%
  2000:  74.6%
  1992:  58.0%
• To see if your town is fluoridated, click here.
• To learn when your town was fluoridated, and which fluoridation chemical it uses, click here.

LATEST NEWS:

• To see the latest news on fluoride developments in Oklahoma, click here.
• To see an updated list of Oklahoma’s professionals calling for an end to fluoridation, click here.

Oklahoma’s FLUORIDATION LAW:

• The State of Oklahoma does not mandate fluoridation.  Local governments control fluoridation policy in OK.  City councils can begin or discontinue fluoridation at their discretion, or by a referendum vote.  Each community’s fluoridation ordinance is unique.  To learn more about these fluoridation ordinances, click here.

DATA ON ORAL HEALTH:

• March 2016: Oklahoma: Community Water Fluoridation Plan
• June 17, 2013: State ranks poorly in dental health
• 2009. Governors Task Force on Children and Oral Health. Final Report. August. No mention of dental fluorosis.
• 2013. Oklahoma Oral Health Needs Assessment 2013. Third Grade Children. By the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Dental Health Service. No mention of dental fluorosis.

FAN’S STATE COORDINATOR IN Oklahoma:

If you live in OK and want to get the fluoride out of your water contact Stuart Cooper, FAN’s campaign coordinator.

Oklahoma COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE REJECTED FLUORIDATION:

OKLAHOMA WATER SYSTEMS WITH HIGH FLUORIDE LEVELS:

1996, Hydrologic Report of the Minor Groundwater Basins in Comanche, Cotton and Tillman Counties.  Technical Report 96-3, by Mark Belden, Kim Sullivan, and Kent Wilkins, Planning and Management Division, Oklahoma Water Resources Board. April 1996.

• Page 18: Levels of fluoride in the groundwater in the Post Oak Conglomerate Formation underlying portions of the CCGB have been found as high as 35 mg/l (Hounslow and Back, 1986). Fluoride levels as high as 17 mg/l have been identified in the Arbuckle Group (Havens, 1983). In areas where the Post Oak water contains elevated levels of fluoride and is overlain by the CCGB, care should be taken when constructing shallow alluvial wells so as not to commingle the Post Oak waters with the alluvial waters. The upper end of the West Cache Creek segment of the basin appears to be the most vulnerable to contamination from fluoride.
• Excessive fluoride levels can lead to tooth mottling and deterioration of the skeletal structure. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) secondary drinking water standard for fluoride is 1.6 mg/l.

FLUORIDE POLLUTION SOURCES IN OKLAHOMA:

In 2008, Oklahoma ranked #22 out of 48 states for Hydrogen Fluoride releases (888,541 pounds). The following data comes from EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). “Total releases” includes both water and air pollution. It’s important to note, however, that not all industries or sources that release fluoride into the environment are included in the TRI.