Does water fluoridation really save dental treatment dollars?

Canada’s Chief Dental Officer of Health Dr. Peter Cooney

Canadian research shows that a lifetime of drinking fluoridated water is not effective at reducing cavities.

Read even more telling Canadian water fluoridation research here…

Health Canada’s Chief Dental Officer (Dr. Peter Cooney) concedes that fluoridation practice reduces cavity rates by less than one cavity per child.

Have a close listen to this short but revealing audio clip below:

Yet, Dr. Cooney still claims every $1 spent on water fluoridation saves $38 (or more) in dental treatment related costs.

If it costs $1/person/year to fluoridate, it can certainly cost $75/person/lifetime to fluoridate (person living just 75 years x $1 per year).

If $1 spent on fluoridation did save $38 in dental treatment related costs, $75 spent should save $2,850.00 (75 x 38).

1 average filling costs about $150 (2012 Ontario dental fee guide).

So, $75 spent on fluoridation may save only $150 … not $2,850.00

$1 spent per year on lifetime fluoridation may save only $2.00/year (150 ÷ 75) … and the feds don’t even pay for fluoridation, municipal taxpayers (you) do!

Beyond just the chemical cost to fluoridating, there is training, handling, monitoring, management, repair, maintenance, infrastructure and equipment replacement costs to keeping fluoridation flowing.

Added to that is the cost of accelerated corrosion to water distribution pipes/systems/infrastructure due to the highly corrosive nature of the fluoridation chemical known as hydrofluorosilicic acid.  Alternatively, there is the added cost of corrosion control ‘buffering chemicals’ required to limit corrosion otherwise caused by this fluoridation chemical.

Then there are health and safety compliance costs, regulatory costs, and municipal liability costs taken on when a community decides to fluoridate and chooses what fluoridation chemical to use.

The cost of treating dental fluorosis caused by water fluoridation should also be considered. One in 10 children nowadays have objectionable fluorosis from fluoridation for which they seek dental treatment. The treatments can range from $500 per person for simple microabrasion and bleaching to $20,000 per person for caps or veneers.

Also, the significant cost to taxpayers for the continual federal/provincial/territorial/municipal public health marketing and promotion of water fluoridation.

After adding all these costs into the ‘mix’, water fluoridation actually saves us nothing.

Fluoridation ends up costing taxpayers more money than it ever saves.

It’s time we addressed dental decay in a much more direct and targeted manner.