Don’t be swayed by alarmists

My 89-year-old mother and late father moved to Spokane in 1954 after Dad finished dental school at the University of Iowa. Mom recounts that upon arrival in our community there were two big issues being discussed, a north/south freeway and fluoridation of our water supply. She chuckles upon realizing that 66 years have now gone by, and while the freeway project is at least underway, we’re still debating the fluoride issue.

As a pediatric dentist, Dad’s 35-year practice in Spokane Valley focused on prevention of tooth decay. Being from Iowa, where much of the groundwater is naturally fluoridated, he learned firsthand of the oral health benefits of fluoridated water. Both he and Mom came from humble backgrounds, where regular dental care was not possible – they each credit Iowa’s naturally-fluoridated water for saving them from a lifetime of dental problems. Mom never saw a dentist until her sophomore year in high school, yet had only three small cavities at that first visit.

When Spokane’s fluoridation efforts began in the mid-1950s, the most vocal opponent was the anti-communist John Birch Society, which fervently believed that fluoridation was a Soviet-sponsored conspiracy designed to promote mental decay in young Americans. Fast-forward to today, and opponents are still laying out outlandish conspiracy “theories” that are not backed by good science.

Let’s not succumb to alarmists and conspiracy theorists. The Council has now taken the first step towards implementation. Let’s urge them to complete this important community project.

John Morrow

Spokane

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