News anchor: A growing number of cities across the country, including several in Alabama, are reconsidering whether to continue fluoridating public water supplies. Childersburg and Sylacauga have already opted out. Now, Madison is on the verge of doing the same. But it's coming with a lot of debate. Let's get you involved in the conversation. We want to know: do you support adding fluoride to your local drinking water? Scan the QR code on your screen or go to abc3340.com to answer. Here's the I-Team's Cynthia Gould.
Public meeting speaker: Because you are a public utility, you may not be paid by tax dollars, but you serve the taxpayer.
Cynthia Gould, ABC 33/40 I-Team: No shortage of passionate speakers in Madison, north of Birmingham. A packed public meeting debating the safety and benefits of adding fluoride to drinking water.
Public meeting speaker: This isn't a trivial thing. I would like us to follow the science. And the science says — fluoride has been in our water for 80 years. We've never seen any negative results.
Cynthia Gould: Others argued it's an unnecessary additive and that individuals should have a choice.
Public meeting speaker: You're overdosing people. We don't know how much we're getting. It's already naturally in our bodies. It's naturally in the water. It's naturally in the soil. When you add this in, we're getting overdosed.
Cynthia Gould: It's in the water, toothpaste, mouthwash and much more. Madison is set to discontinue fluoridation June 16th unless the water board reverses course. After criticism, the public had little say. Other Alabama cities: Orange Beach made the move in March, and last year three systems did the same. Sylacauga utility manager David Green tells us the board had a public hearing. The change approved by the council. And in Childersburg, water managers took a similar path, with public hearings and council approval.
Cynthia Gould: State dental director Dr. Tommy Johnson says the impact of fluoridation is clear: significantly less tooth decay. Not everyone has the same access to dental care.
Dr. Tommy Johnson, Alabama State Dental Director: We have counties that don't have dental offices or dentists. Period.
Cynthia Gould: Tooth decay, the most chronic disease in childhood. From students, he hears this.
Dr. Tommy Johnson: [unclear] Or we have one toothbrush at home that we all use. There are times in which you go into a setting and somebody opens their mouth, and what you were looking at are not recognizable as teeth. And you just know that you're looking at this child and it's like, how much pain they had to have been in, in a period of time, to get to this state. So it's very sad.
Cynthia Gould: Toothaches causing more lost time from school than any other factor, according to Dr. Johnson. Not only painful, but leading to low self-esteem, poor nutrition.
[Dental scene]: Open up wider.
Cynthia Gould: Local dentists say they're now facing questions from patients: “Some concerns and safety of it. And do we need to be ingesting it?”
Cynthia Gould: Dr. Chris Swicord says on the surface of the teeth, there are clear fluoride benefits, making teeth ten times stronger, resisting cavities. He encourages use of things like fluoride varnish, applied directly to the tooth.
Dr. Chris Swicord, Smile Craft Dentistry: I think a lot of us kind of forget what it was like before fluoride. You know, my great-grandparents, they all had dentures by the age of 40, right? Like their teeth were in a glass by their bedside at the age of 40.
Cynthia Gould: Fluoridation of public water supplies began 78 years ago in Michigan.
Dr. Tommy Johnson: All water has some degree of fluoride in it.
Cynthia Gould: In fact, Dr. Johnson explains 11 systems in Alabama don't need to add it — natural levels are sufficient.
Dr. Tommy Johnson: I'm not saying that there's not something else out there that maybe is good or better than fluoridation. And if there is, then that's great. I'm all for it. That's how we make advancements. But don't take away what we've got right now.
Cynthia Gould: The American Dental Association says water fluoridation is safe and effective in preventing tooth decay in both children and adults. Florida and Utah are the first states to ban it.
News anchor: Thanks, Cynthia. And let's take a look at our poll question. We asked, do you support adding fluoride to your local drinking water? You can see most people — 66%, 67% — have responded, yes, I do. There's still time for you to answer. Scan the QR code on your screen or find this [cut off].