The Ontario Dental Association supports water fluoridation in Thunder Bay

    Water fluoridation is an imperative preventative measure for lifelong
    good health

    THUNDER BAY, ON, July 20 /CNW/ - The Ontario Dental Association (ODA)
encourages members of Thunder Bay City Council to improve the health of their
citizens by voting in support of the implementation of water fluoridation for
their community.
    In a press conference this afternoon, Dr. Ira Kirshen, ODA President,
urged both citizens and politicians to get the facts on fluoride from informed
medical experts.
    "There is no debate - community water fluoridation is the most
cost-effective and safe way to prevent tooth decay," said Dr.Kirshen. "As a
dentist, I see the pain and suffering people with poor oral health experience;
as a father, I would never promote anything that would expose my children to
harm."
    In response to increasing rates of tooth decay in the region, in 2007 the
Thunder Bay District Board of Health made recommendations to City Council on
improving the oral health of its citizens, one of which was adding fluoride to
the public water supply.
    The ODA's interest in Thunder Bay City Council's pending decision stems
from a Special Report it released last November, Tooth Decay in Ontario's
Children: An Ounce of Prevention - A Pound of Cure. In the report, a group of
experts from around the world agreed that water fluoridation is essential in
preventative care.
    "In over 30 years of practice in Thunder Bay, I have seen firsthand the
staggering effects of tooth decay," said local dentist Dr. Peter DeGiacomo.
"Kids need all the help they can get in life, and we owe it to each and every
one of them to ensure they get proper preventative care."
    Dr. Kirshen cited numerous independent studies from around the world that
confirm the benefits and safety of public water fluoridation.

    -   In a 2007 Health Canada report, a panel of independent medical
        experts concluded that water fluoridation, in the correct amount, is
        both safe and effective.

    -   The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourages the
        continuation and expansion of community water fluoridation and
        identifies it as "one of 10 great public health achievements of the
        20th century."

    -   The U.S. Surgeon General also agrees: "Community water fluoridation
        continues to be the most cost-effective, equitable and safe means to
        provide protection from tooth decay in a community."

    "The cost of adding fluoride to regional drinking water is minimal when
compared to the large costs of reparative dental surgery for children and
adults living without fluoridation," said Dr. Kirshen. "The ODA is saying to
the citizens and council of Thunder Bay that it's time to stand up for water
fluoridation - it's important to your family and your community."
    Recent city council decisions south of the border have highlighted the
importance of community water fluoridation. In the fall of 2007, the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California implemented water
fluoridation, providing fluoridated water to 10 million people in the United
States - making it the single largest expansion of fluoridation ever. In June
2008, the San Diego City Council voted unanimously to implement fluoridation
by 2010. Prior to this decision, San Diego was the largest nonfluoridated city
in the United States.
    For more information go to www.youroralhealth.ca and visit our Media
Room.

For further information: Rui Estevao, Public Affairs & Communications,
(416) 355-2278, restevao@oda.ca; or Bonnie Dean, Public Affairs &
Communications, (416) 922-3900, ext. 3305, bdean@oda.ca