This column appeared in The Buffalo News on February 27, 2023.
Stephen Turkovich, MD
President, John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital
Sarah Ventre, MD, MPH
Pediatrician, Niagara Street Pediatrics
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo
Bridget Walsh
Senior Health Policy Analyst
Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
February is recognized as Children’s Dental Health Month, but this year’s observance takes on special meaning in New York State after the recent, surprise news that drinking water in Buffalo has not been fluoridated since 2015. This disturbing discovery reminds us of the need to raise awareness of how fluoride prevents tooth decay.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of children. Pediatricians see first-hand how the impact of poor dental health goes far beyond the mouth. Research shows that children with dental pain are three times more likely to be absent from school and four times more likely to earn lower grades.
Fluoride is a mineral found naturally in lakes, rivers, and other water supplies. Some communities have enough natural fluoride to reach the level proven to reduce the rate of tooth decay by 25 percent for children and adults. Most communities must add a little more fluoride to their water to reach this level.
Until recently, dental professionals and public health officials in Buffalo had assumed the city’s water system was properly fluoridated. The disclosure that this isn’t the case shocked local health officials, pediatricians, dentists, and parents — and for good reason.
The news from Buffalo might have prompted some New Yorkers to wonder: “Is fluoridated water needed if you brush with a fluoride toothpaste?” It turns out that both of those forms of fluoride are needed to prevent tooth decay.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that fluoride toothpaste and fluoridated water “provide important and complementary benefits.” So what happens when a city stops adding fluoride? Spoiler alert: It’s bad news for teeth, especially the developing teeth of children.
A recent study looked at what happened to children’s teeth after a city stopped adding fluoride to its tap water. After fluoridation ended in Juneau — Alaska’s capital city — the average costs for treating children’s cavities jumped by 47 percent in nine years. By contrast, the treatment costs for children in continuously fluoridated Anchorage rose only 5 percent in the same period. In Juneau, the impact was the worst for preschool-age kids.
There is no reason to believe that Juneau children stopped brushing their teeth after water fluoridation ended. In fact, one might have expected parents to make brushing more of a priority afterward. Nonetheless, children there needed a lot more fillings and other types of treatment. Clearly, fluoride toothpaste was not enough.
Pediatricians want patients to be as healthy as possible, from teeth to toes. Fluoride is an important part of protecting those growing teeth from decay. Now that the city’s water does not contain fluoride, Buffalo parents should speak with their children’s pediatrician or dentist about the best way to continue that protection.
Together, we can make sure Buffalo’s kids have healthy smiles.
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