A: Yes. Fluoride is a naturally-occurring element in water. Community water fluoridation is really just the adjustment of fluoride already in your drinking water to the best levels to help prevent tooth decay. Adding fluoride to drinking water is like adding vitamin D to milk and vitamin C to orange juice.

Q: What do the experts say?

A: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists fluoride as one of the ten most important public health achievements of the 20th century. The CDC says, "Fluoridation safely and inexpensively benefits both children and adults by effectively preventing tooth decay. Fluoridation has played an important role in the reductions in tooth decay (40%-70% in children) and of tooth loss in adults (40%-60%)."

The American Medical Association (AMA) says: "The AMA recognizes the important public health benefits of drinking properly fluoridated water and encourages its member physicians and medical societies to work with local and state health departments, dental societies, and concerned citizens to assure the optimal fluoridation of community drinking water supplies." The American Dental Association "endorses community water fluoridation as a safe, beneficial and cost-effective public health measure for preventing dental caries. This support has been the Association’s policy since 1950."

The U.S. Surgeon General says: "Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health over a lifetime, for both children and adults."

These opinions are based thousands of research studies done over more than six decades and the experience of more than 170 million Americans, including more than five million Pennsylvanians, who have fluoridated water.

Q: Is fluoridating public drinking water systems cost effective?

A: Yes. Over a lifetime, the cost of fluoridating drinking water is less than the cost of ONE DENTAL FILLING. The average cost for a community to fluoridate its water ranges from about 50 cents to $3 per person per year. Even more important, studies show that for every dollar spent fluoridating a water system, $38 dollars is saved in lower dental health care costs. This is important to the people benefitting directly from fluoridation, but to taxpayers as well. Low income children often do not see a dentist regularly, and these children often receive their medical and dental care through taxpayer-funded medical assistance. Lowering these costs saves taxpayers money.

Q: How much of Pennsylvania’s population now has fluoridated water?

A: Despite decades of evidence showing the benefits of optimal fluoride levels in drinking water, only 54% of Pennsylvanians served by public drinking water systems are receiving this benefit now.

Fluoride is proven safe, cost effective, and a benefit to dental health. Come on Pennsylvania, let’s get FLUORIDE NOW!