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Fluoridation of drinking water to continue in Tottenham

All the major dental industry acronyms were represented in Alliston last night to speak in defence of keeping fluoride in the treatment of Tottenham's drinking water supply. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and Health Canada joined in to cover off the other bases.

The line up included Dr. Charles Gardner, Medical Officer of Health for Simcoe Muskoka; Dr. Peter Trainer, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario; Dr. Dick Ito, Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry, Dr. Gerry Ross, President, Muskoka-Simcoe Dental Society; Dr. Larry Levin, President, Ontario Dental Association; Dr. Keith Morley, Immediate Past President, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; and Dr. Peter Cooney, Chief Dental Officer, Health Canada.

They had assembled to convince council to reverse a March 30 vote that initiated the process required by the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Ministry of  Health guidelines for removing fluoride as an additive to the water treatment. Ward 1 councillor Jamie Smith, Ward 2 councillor Dennis Egan, and Ward 3 councillor Barb Huson had voted against it, and mayor Mike MacEachern was absent from the meeting, which was chaired by deputy mayor Rick Milne.

Last night's effort, which didn't require any sustained debate because councillors, other than Ward 5's Jim Stone who initiated the action, had already conceded the fight to the fluoride proponents.

Theirs was a uniform message that put simply reemphasised the point that fluoride in proper doses controlled through the water treatment process was a proven factor in healthy teeth.

Former Tottenham reeve Joan Sutherland opened the delegations telling councillors that she was "disturbed" after reading council had voted to remove fluoride which she reminded them was installed through a ballot question.

"I always feel Jim had some pretty far out ideas, and I'm sure that's how he feels about mine, but the last I heard we are a democracy," said Ms. Sutherland, a former deputy mayor of New Tecumseth, "It was put in by a referendum and I don't think it should be removed from just one person's information. If fluoride was as much of a poison, I should be dead because I've been drinking tap water for 36 years, and I still do."

Dr. Gerry Ross has practiced dentistry in Tottenham since 1971 and played the lead activist role starting in 1973 to get fluoride added to the former village's drinking water supply. He took up the cause because of the "shock" experienced at the dental condition of local children in his first two years of practice.

"I presented the facts, and the citizens of Tottenham voted more than 80 per cent in favour," noted Dr. Ross who felt "ambushed that council was going to remove the fluoride" after reading about it. "Jim is one of my two councillors in Tottenham, and I was disappointed before he brought it to council he didn't come to me so I could give him some information so at least council would have more information before making a decision."

Dr. Gardner's powerpoint presentation on behalf of the health unit included statistics that concluded Tottenham children had lower levels of dental health issues than the rest of the county, a position Dr. Ross said he knows first hand to be the case.

"What I see in my practice is just a tremendous difference between the teeth in the children in Tottenham and those that come in from Beeton, and Alliston, and the surrounding communities," he said. "It is just one of those things, I can tell when kids come in, almost with 95 per cent predictability, where the kids have grown up. It's that big a difference. I'm sad it isn't in more of the communities in New Tecumseth. All the dentists in Alliston, Beeton, and Tottenham supported me in this effort to maintain the fluoride in the water."

So did council sittting in committee, as the vote to rescind the March 30 decision was only opposed by Mr. Stone. Deputy mayor Rick Milne was absent. The vote will be confirmed by council next Monday night.

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