Ask health experts for their view

By: C. Dean Germano

Published: August 04, 2002 in Editorial

I have read with great interest a number of commentaries published lately in this paper from those who would undermine one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century, namely fluoridation.

The general cynical premise of these people seems to be that water fluoridation is either a poison or mass medication. They easily dismiss the 50 years of credible scientific study, some of which were done in the face of the hysterical perceptions sometimes based on junk science, but more often just based on opinion.

Fortunately good science does not cater to any of this. It matters little to the opposition that the scientific bodies that look at all aspects of health and science in our nation, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, have consistently studied public water fluoridation and have, as late as this year, increased their already high level of confidence in the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation or that the surgeons general of this nation, both Democratic and Republican appointments, have strongly endorsed this as well.

While I can go on and put forth the names of almost every credible health and science body in this nation and abroad, for some that may not be enough.

Therefore I offer this advice: If you have questions, speak with your physician or dentist. If you are fortunate enough to have either and/or both (many in our community do not) you should ask them.

The Record Searchlight in its Careers Sunday section recently did a piece on being a physician and it stated that physicians' education and responsibilities are unequaled. If you trust your physician and your dentist with your health and your family's health, this is where you will find credible answers. Physicians and dentists are more than willing to spend some time with you to discuss this issue.

With more than 98 percent of family physicians and dentists, and 100 percent of Redding's pediatricians endorsing Redding's move to optimize fluoride in our public water supply, you should not be surprised by their answer.

With respect to the issue of a vote, it is interesting that at a recent City Council meeting (a meeting where once again the majority of council members supported water fluoridation) the council faced two choices: it could put it to a public vote or it could pass the ordinance. It was interesting to see the opposition asking the council to go forward and pass the ordinance without a public vote. One council member noted the irony that it was these people who pushed for a public vote, yet when the opportunity came they were pleading to have the council pass it. So much for public participation. Their zeal to place a gag order on the Public Health Department in this discussion is another example of their tenacity to undermine good public health information and public discussion.

These cynics keep searching for monetary reasons why so many physicians and dentists support fluoridation since all it does is greatly reduce cavities, which for dentists reduces a big part of their business. They fail to recognize that these people are part of the healing professions where the patient's health must come first.

With respect to some comments that big money is somehow behind this, all I see is very busy people who live and work in Redding and who deeply care for their community. They are taking time out of their lives to help bring to Redding, in the face of so much unnecessary suffering, particularly by children, what 70 percent of this nation already enjoys.

We should rejoice that through some hard work, almost $2 million have been raised for the equipment cost of this project, saving taxpayers this financial burden. In short, avoid the temptation to be a cynic, or at least speak with your physician and dentist before you travel down that dark road.

C. Dean Germano is the executive director of the Shasta Community Health Center in Redding.