Surgeon General Praises Community Water Fluoridation Efforts.

The ADA News (12/23, Garvin) reports that ADA President Carol Gomez Summerhays and ADA Executive Director Kathleen O’Loughlin sent a letter to US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, MD on Dec. 22, thanking Dr. Murthy for his efforts in commemorating the 70th anniversary of community water fluoridation. According to the article, “In a video posted to the Office of the Surgeon General’s YouTube channel, Dr. Murthy credited community water fluoridation with contributing to dramatic declines in the prevalence and severity of tooth decay, and praised advocates and community leaders for their efforts in fighting to make water fluoridation a reality in communities across the county.” Drs. Summerhays and O’Loughlin said in the letter, “We applaud you for commemorating the 70th anniversary of community water fluoridation with a statement acknowledging the practice as a safe, beneficial, and cost-effective public health measure for preventing tooth decay.”

        Dr Bicuspid (12/23) reports that Dr. Murthy called fluoridation “one of the most cost effective, equitable, and safe measures communities can take to prevent tooth decay and improve oral health.” Dr. Murthy added that community water fluoridation “is the best method for delivering fluoride to all members of the community,” and its “effectiveness in preventing tooth decay extends throughout one’s life, resulting in fewer – and less severe – cavities.”