Voices from the field: a hygienist and instructor’s perspective on water fluoridation 

Mary W. Jones, RDH, MPH 

Bluegrass Community and Technical College 

Dental Hygiene Program Coordinator/Professor 

  

As a practicing dental hygienist for over 26 years and an educator for 17 years, I have seen many Kentuckians as dental patients in both private practice and the school clinic.  

As a prevention specialist, it is important to me to provide good tools to prevent dental problems before they start. We teach the dental hygiene students to include nutritional counseling as part of prevention, recommending less soda and sugary foods that promote tooth decay, and more healthy options like vegetables and water to prevent decay. Educators believe in evidence-based practice, which means that the dental professionals they’ve taught base their everyday practice of dental care on researched facts and science. 

Community water fluoridation is an example of an evidence-based measure that has been proven to be safe and effective in preventing tooth decay.  

There are over 70 years of scientific research that show adding a fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L in drinking water can provide the best balance of protection from dental caries across all age groups. The optimum level of fluoride promotes dental remineralization of tooth enamel and no adverse effects to the body. 

By utilizing protection in this systemic method, it is an equitable way to provide protection to all Kentucky citizens, regardless of socioeconomic status.  

  • Ensuring every citizen has access to optimally fluoridated water is a fraction of the cost per person compared to one dental filling.  
  • It is more cost- effective to provide primary prevention methods of dental disease to communities, instead of paying for more expensive tertiary methods, such as pulling teeth damaged from decay and replacing lost teeth.  
  • Prevention is always cheaper than replacing lost structure and function. 

Access to dental care in the state of Kentucky can vary depending on the location, number of dental providers, and cost of treatment. Many of our citizens do not have dental insurance and cannot afford to pay out of pocket for dental care.  

The good news is that our state is recognized for being a national leader in community water fluoridation. Why would we want to remove this inexpensive tool of prevention that all Kentuckians can access?  

To me, removing this important public health measure would be equivalent to removing a seat belt from a car, or allowing smoking inside buildings again. Science has shown what works for public health and Kentucky needs to continue this measure to protect all citizens from disease.