WATER FLUORIDATION IN PIERCE COUNTY

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WATER FLUORIDATION IN PIERCE COUNTY
DPHS 510 SAMPLE PRESENTATION FORMAT Maximum 12
slides

• NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS
• NAME OF YOUR GROUP INSTRUCTOR

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PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM ADDRESSED BY GROUP

• About 1/2 of all children in Washington do not
  have access to fluoridated water
• Children drinking fluoridated water have less
  tooth decay than other children
• Tooth decay is a common yet preventable disease
• There are barriers to implementing water
  fluoridation
• The problem in Pierce County is a good case study
  of the difficulties everywhere

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HOW DOES FLUORIDE WORK?

• Promotes remineralization of enamel
• Reduces enamel solubility
• Anti-bacterial

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BACKGROUND FACTS

• The cost- effectiveness is well established
• All major national and state dental and public
  health associations and governmental agencies
  support water fluoridation
• There are private groups that oppose fluoridation

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ELEMENTS OF THE PROBLEM

• Pierce County Board of Health ordered water
  districts to fluoridate
• Water districts sued the Board
• Court narrowed the authority of the Board
• Districts under Board authority still fighting
• Dental society and local newspaper strongly in
  support

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OBJECTIONS TO WATER FLUORIDATON

• Mass medicine imposed by government
• If I want my kid to get fluoride I can get it
• Not cost effective for small districts
• Dangerous poison
• Doesnt really work (some fluoridated cities have
  higher caries rates than non fluoridated
• Some dentists even oppose it

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SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM

• Increase breadth of community support beyond
  dental community
• Educate individual patients, increase
  participation by all dentists and other
  professionals in the campaign
• Become very political and aggressive in opposing
  lies put out by outside groups
• Collect better local data on tooth decay
  epidemiology
• Provide technical assistance to water districts,
  educate district staff

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TAKE HOME LESSONS

• Dentists really need to know their facts about
  water fluoridation and educate the community as a
  whole as well as individual patients
• Local data about tooth decay is needed
• Broad community support is needed. Dentists need
  to be leaders

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Sources of Information and Links