Promoting policies that support oral health for all Coloradans, on the federal, state, and local levels, is the work of Oral Health Colorado. Currently, the eight-year-old advocacy organization is focused on retaining Denver Water’s policy of water fluoridation. In an interview with Catherine Strode, executive director Deborah Foote says the Denver Water Board Commissioners’ Aug. 10 vote whether or not to continue fluoridating its water is a crucial one for Colorado and for the entire country.

Catherine Strode: Why is Oral Health Colorado supporting water fluoridation?

Deborah Foote: Water fluoridation is good for the community and good for its children. Oral Health Colorado is engaged in a process that all children in Colorado who are on public water supplies would have access to community water fluoridation. This is really about children’s health. I think a lot of people don’t know that cavities are the most common chronic childhood disease in this country and in Colorado. It is totally preventable. We have children who are relying upon fluoridation. It is one of the pillars of protecting their teeth. Community water fluoridation is the optimal way to deliver it to all children regardless of economics, race, and ethnicity. This benefits all children in a very easy way. You just drink from the tap.

CS: Are cavities a major health issue?

DF: Cavities have always been a problem. More children have cavities than children who are obese in Colorado. There are some similar culprits. When you look at the impact of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages on the health of teeth, there’s still that same poor health outcome. We want children to be free from pain. I have been told that when you’ve got a painful cavity, it feels like a bee sting that doesn’t go away. We have to make sure we’re protecting all our children. We want to be sure children can do well in school and do well in life. When a child is in pain, they have difficulty learning. Some people are unaware that cavities in baby teeth lead to cavities in adult teeth. Healthy teeth are important from the day a baby is born.

CS: How does fluoride protect teeth?

DF: Fluoride is a naturally occurring element. Fluoride acts as a re-mineralization of teeth enamel. When your teeth re-mineralize, you are actually protecting them from the bacteria that causes cavities. Community water fluoridation is really all about the dosage. What water systems do is, they either take out fluoride, or they add in fluoride, to reach a maximum optimal dosage. I don’t understand the arguments of those who are against fluoridation. I do understand that people want to protect their children, but they don’t need to worry about fluoride. I believe after seven decades of evidence, and every major health organization agreeing that optimally fluoridated water protects teeth without posing a risk to health, that this is the compelling message. I think there are some misperceptions on the side of anti- fluoridationists. I don’t believe they have looked at the science and are often citing studies that are not equivalent to what community water fluoridation looks like in this country.

CS: Is there a statewide effort to promote water fluoridation?

DF: All of the fluoridation issues are local issues. Because it’s a local, community issue, we are not able to address it on a statewide basis. Colorado is a home-rule state and, therefore, we advocate for it community by community. It’s a very ongoing and long-term process. There are other areas of the state where this has been coming up. The town of Hayden will have a ballot initiative in November on whether or not to continue fluoridating. The city of Rifle will be exploring next year whether to add fluoridation. Most recently, we’ve learned this issue may be presenting itself in Durango. We do our best to help mobilize and provide technical assistance so community advocates can act on their own behalf.

CS: Why do you consider the Denver Water Commissioners’ vote so important?

DF: Denver Water serves over 1 million customers in Colorado. The Denver Water Commission not only serves Denver, it also serves parts of Littleton and some of our smaller communities. This vote will not just impact Denver. It will impact any customer who has Denver Water as its water supplier. To take away this important public health intervention would hurt Colorado’s children and could set a dangerous precedent for communities throughout the country. If one large city like Denver ends its policy of providing community water fluoridation, other cities may follow.

Catherine Strode, MPA, is Advocacy Denver’s policy and outreach specialist.