Staff report
A coalition of major Kentucky health organizations have teamed up in opposition to a bill in the state House of Representative to remove the state’s fluoridation mandate from state law. The group opposes what they call an important oral health protection that fluoride in water provides.
HB16 would remove Kentucky’s community fluoridation mandate from state law. The group has set up a legislative Message Line – 1-800-372-2781 — and suggests that callers ask their messages to go to ALL members of the House.
The bill passed in committee and will be heard by the full House on Tuesday, making adding flouride to drinking water a local option.
Members of the coalition are Kentucky Voice for Health, Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, Kentucky Primary Care Association, Kentucky Dental Association, Kentucky Dental Hygienists’ Association, Delta Dental of Kentucky, Louisville Water Company, and the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.
The group have worked to address Kentucky’s long standing oral health coverage gaps and recognize the public health benefits that community water fluoridation provides, protecting the oral health of over 95% of Kentuckians.
They say community water fluoridation serves as a universal backup to inconsistent and inadequate access to oral care, the most effective and least expensive means to reduce tooth decay. It costs roughly $0.50 per person per year to maintain community fluoridation.
The National Institute of Health estimates communities with fluoridated water save an average of $32 per person per year by avoiding treatment for cavities. On the other hand, treating tooth decay is extremely costly to the individual and the public. Kentucky’s Department for Medicaid Services estimates that every 10% of the population that loses access to fluoridation adds an additional $20M annually to Medicaid spending.
The coalition says that tooth decay is one of Kentucky’s most prevalent chronic diseases. It’s linked to serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infections, even arthritis. It’s a major threat to job security and economic productivity. But rates of tooth decay aren’t evenly distributed across the population, disproportionately impacting individuals with lower income, kids, and seniors. Repealing protections on fluoridation would be particularly harmful to Kentucky’s low-income families — for whom drinking water may be the only source of preventive dental care.
Community fluoridation has proven safe and effective for 75 years, but HB16 could lead to dangerous deregulation of Kentucky’s drinking water, the group says. Kentucky can’t afford more dental problems.