Water Fluoridation and the Dental Health Crisis
Portland, Oregon is in the midst of a dental health crisis where one in five children is suffering from untreated decay and lower income kids are suffering even worse rates of decay. Oregonians are faring much worse then those living in neighboring states, including largely fluoridated Washington State, which has half the rate of untreated decay. The kids in the Portland Metro area have 40% more decay than kids in Seattle (fluoridated). That’s simply not fair.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that when adjusted to the recommended level of 0.7 parts per million, strengthens tooth enamel to protect against decay. Every trusted health organization that has taken a stand supports water fluoridation because it works. It is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the World Health Organization (to name a few).
Why It Matters
Dental health is a window into your overall health. Strong and healthy teeth are a foundation for maintaining good health, happiness, and productivity. Dental decay can be painful, cause infections, and lead to tooth loss. Furthermore, the consequences of poor dental health are linked to other chronic health issues, including heart disease.
The pain caused by decay reduces children’s ability to concentrate and learn at school; it impacts their speech development, damages their self-esteem, and sets them up for a lifetime of ongoing expensive restorative dental care. In adults, treating poor dental health has tremendous costs. It is responsible for countless missed work days and decreased productivity, and it hinders employment opportunities due to employer and customer discrimination.
What We’re Doing
We know prevention works – and dental decay is 100% preventable. And the medical and scientific community is in 100% agreement that water fluoridation is very effective at reducing dental decay. That’s why we are supporting the effort to fluoridate Portland’s water. Virtually all major cities already have it because it benefits everyone particularly children by reducing decay by at least 25%, and it reduces the need for major dental procedures by even a greater percentage.
Unfortunately, Portland is the largest city in the US that has not yet adopted water fluoridation. Upstream has partnered with over 80 local organizations that are invested in improving the dental health of our community. We’ve spoken to hundreds of people and are gathering stories from the community because enough is enough – our kids deserve the same benefits as kids in neighboring cities.
No child should have to needlessly suffer, no older adult should have nutrition compromised because of the inability to chew properly, and no adult should feel the shame of missing a front tooth. After all, everyone deserves healthy teeth.
Upstream is a member of the Healthy Kids Healthy Portland coalition, which supports water fluoridation in Portland. This coalition is supported by a broad coalition of public health leaders and organizations, grassroots activists, elected officials, unions, physicians and dentists, local businessed, community groups, and individuals that believe in improving dental health.
Supporters Include:
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
American Dental Association
Oregon Dental Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
Oregon Pediatric Society
Local Community Water Fluoridation Supporters & Coalition Members
- Access Dental Plan
- Advantage Dental
- African American Health Coalition
- African Partnership for Health
- African Women’s Coalition
- Asian Health & Service Center
- Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO)
- Capitol Dental Care
- CareOregon
- CareOregon Dental
- Causa
- Center for Intercultural Organizing
- Central City Concern
- The Children’s Clinic, P.C.
- Children’s Health Alliance
- Coalition of Communities of Color
- Dental Foundation of Oregon
- East Portland Pediatrics Clinic
- FamilyCare
- Familias en Acción
- Friends of Creston Children‘s Dental Clinic
- Hacienda CDC
- Health Share of Oregon
- Healthy Teeth for a Lifetime
- Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber
- Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)
- Kaiser Permanente Northwest
- Latino Network
- Laurelwood Dental
- Legacy Health
- Lutheran Community Services
- Medical Society of Metropolitan Portland
- Neighborhood Health Centers
- Northwest Medical Teams International
- Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA)
- North by Northeast Community Health Center
- Northwest Health Foundation
- OEA Choice Trust
- OPAL Environmental Justice Oregon
- Open Meadow
- Oral Health Outreach
- Oregon Academy of Family Physicians
- Oregon Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Oregon Academy of General Dentistry
- Oregon Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
- Oregon Business Association
- Oregon Chapter, National Association of Social Workers
- Oregon Dental Association
- Oregon Dental Assistants Association
- Oregon Dental Hygienists’ Association
- Oregon Dental Services Companies
- Oregon Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals, AFT Healthcare Local 5017, AFL-CIO
- Oregon Latino Health Coalition
- Oregon Latino Agenda for Action
- Oregon Medical Association
- Oregon Nurses Association
- Oregon Oral Health Coalition
- Oregon Primary Care Association
- Oregon Public Health Association
- Oregon Public Health Institute
- Oregon State Council for Retired Senior Citizens
- Oregon’s Health Co-op
- Oregon School Nurses Association
- Oregon School-Based Health Care Network
- Pediatric Dentistry, P.C.
- Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon
- Portland Public School Board
- Project Access NOW
- Providence Health & Services — Oregon
- Portland Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon
- SEIU Local 49 and Local 503
- Street Roots
- UFCW Local 555
- Urban League of Portland
- Upright Brewing Company
- Upstream Public Health
- Tuality Healthcare
- Tuality Health Alliance
- Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center
- Willamette Dental
- 17 separate local dental societies
National and International Organizations That Recognize the Public Health Benefits of Community Water Fluoridation for Preventing Dental Decay
- Academy of Dentistry International
- Academy of General Dentistry Academy for Sports Dentistry
- Alzheimer’s Association
- America’s Health Insurance Plans
- American Academy of Family Physicians
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
- American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
- American Academy of Periodontology
- American Academy of Physician Assistants
- American Association for Community Dental Programs
- American Association for Dental Research
- American Association for Health Education
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American Association of Endodontists
- American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
- American Association of Orthodontists
- American Association of Public Health Dentistry
- American Association of Women Dentists
- American College of Dentists
- American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine
- American College of Preventive Medicine
- American College of Prosthodontists
- American Council on Science and Health
- American Dental Assistants Association
- American Dental Association
- American Dental Education Association
- American Dental Hygienists’ Association
- American Dietetic Association
- American Federation of Labor and Congress
of Industrial Organizations - American Hospital Association
- American Legislative Exchange Council
- American Medical Association
- American Nurses Association
- American Osteopathic Association
- American Pharmacists Association
- American Public Health Association
- American School Health Association
- American Society for Clinical Nutrition
- American Society for Nutritional Sciences
- American Student Dental Association
- American Water Works Association
- Association for Academic Health Centers
- Association of American Medical Colleges
- Association of Clinicians for the Underserved
- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
- Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
- Association of State and Territorial Public Health
Nutrition Directors - British Fluoridation Society
- Canadian Dental Association
- Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
- Canadian Medical Association
- Canadian Nurses Association
- Canadian Paediatric Society
- Canadian Public Health Association
- Child Welfare League of America
- Children’s Dental Health Project
- Consumer Federation of America
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
- Delta Dental Plans Association
- FDI World Dental Federation
- Federation of American Hospitals
- Hispanic Dental Association
- Indian Dental Association (U.S.A.)
- Institute of Medicine
- International Association for Dental Research
- International Association for Orthodontics
- International College of Dentists
- March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
- National Association of Community Health Centers
- National Association of County and City Health Officials
- National Association of Dental Assistants
- National Association of Local Boards of Health
- National Association of Social Workers
- National Dental Assistants Association
- National Dental Association
- National Dental Hygienists’ Association
- National Down Syndrome Congress
- National Down Syndrome Society
- National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped
- National Head Start Association
- National Health Law Program
- National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition
- Oral Health America
- Pew Center on the States
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Society for Public Health Education
- Society of American Indian Dentists
- Special Care Dentistry
- Academy of Dentistry for Persons with Disabilities
- American Association of Hospital Dentists
- American Society for Geriatric Dentistry
- The Children’s Health Fund
- The Dental Health Foundation (of California)
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- U.S. Public Health Service
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
- World Federation of Orthodontists
- World Health Organization
What You Can Do
To learn more about the Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland campaign visit:
www.healthykidshealthyportland.org
Or email info@healthykidshealthyportland.org