On Monday, voters in the town of Athol took a stand to protect public health. For over 50 years, residents of Athol have been receiving the benefits of community water fluoridation, and the town will continue to benefit after voters overwhelmingly rejected a motion to cease the practice.
Athol voters know that adding fluoride to the public water supply is safe, and know that it is essential to improving everyone’s health because of the link between oral health and overall health. Children with poor oral health have trouble concentrating in school. As adults, chronic oral infections lead to missed work opportunities and are associated with heart and lung disease, diabetes, stroke and premature births.
The Board of Health, Board of Selectmen, and local advocates, including the North Quabbin Community Coalition’s Dental Task Force worked together to educate friends and neighbors on the safety and effectiveness of fluoride, and the benefits the town has been receiving from it. The US Centers for Disease Control considers fluoridation one of the top public health measures, along with pasteurization and water purification. In tight economic times, this vote is especially important, as every dollar spent on fluoridation saves an estimated $38 in costly treatment further down the line.
So congratulations, Athol, on taking a strong stand to continue to protect the oral health and overall health of your community! You can find an article on the results of the town meeting here.
Meanwhile, at the State House, Senate 536, An Act making technical correction in a certain law relative to oral health, has been passed by the Senate and is now pending in the House. The bill corrects provisions of last year’s Chapter 530 which clarifies that services provided by dental hygienists in public health settings are billed to third party insurers before MassHealth, when patients are covered by MassHealth and third party insurance.
Courtney Chelo
http://www.fluoridealert.org