Portland, Oregon to add fluoride to city's water supply

A protestor with a banner interrupts a Portland City Council vote on whether to add fluoride to water in Oregon's largest city on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. The City Council approved a plan Wednesday to fluoridate the city's water supply.

/ AP

(CBS/AP) Portland's City Council approved a plan Wednesday to add fluoride to the city's water supply, meaning Oregon's biggest city is no longer the largest holdout in the United States.

The ordinance approved Wednesday morning calls for the city water to be fluoridated by March 2014.

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Health experts say fluoride is effective against decay by providing teeth with frequent contact with low levels of fluoride throughout each day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cite studies that show water fluoridation reduces tooth decay nearly 25 percent over a person's lifetime. The agency also said its been studied for more than 65 years and has shown strong evidence of its safety and efficacy.

Opponents of public fluoridation say it's unsafe and violates an individual's right to consent to medication. They also add that council members rushed into action without a public vote, and they plan to collect signatures to force a referendum in May 2014.

Voters in Portland twice rejected fluoridation before approving it in 1978. But that plan was overturned before any fluoride was ever added to the water.

Portland's drinking water already contains naturally occurring fluoride, though not at levels considered to be effective at fighting cavities.

Portland City Commissioner Nick Fish, who co-sponsored the plan, has said more than 200 million Americans drink water with added fluoride, and it doesn't appear to have caused great harm. Most mainstream health organizations, such as the American Medical Association and American Dental Association, endorse it as safe.

Public fluoridation came up this week in Phoenix when a public stir prompted re-examination of a policy in place since 1989. After a contentious hearing Tuesday, council members voted to continue adding fluoride to the water in the nation's sixth-largest city.

Grand Rapids, Michigan became the world's first city to fluoridate its water supply on January 25, 1945, according to the American Dental Association.

The CDC says more than 204 million Americans are served by community water supplies that contain enough fluoride to protect dental health - about 74 percent of the country. For its Healthy People campaign, the agency hopes to boost that level to about 80 percent of Americans by 2020.

[dorthypacker]

This is interesting. Would people be taking in too much fluoride then? My father is a <a href="http://www.canyondental.ca">dentist in calgary</a> so I'll have to ask him what he thinks of this idea. Thank you for sharing!

[sarajones1514]

That is interesting to me. But I have dentures which cannot get cavities. Does anyone know if the floride in the water helps with my <a href="http://www.bowvalleydenturecentre.com/dental-services/dentures/">dentures</a> ??

[SeanValjean]

Interesting. I wonder how this will affect <a href="http://www.marketmalldentureclinic.com">dentures calgary</a> now.

[mamasnothappy1]

I cannot imagine what would cause someone to vote for something that the populace vehemently doesn't want. Not to mention the fact that it is a poison when people get too much. I'm from St. Louis where they have had it since the fifties. About the same time that the government used poison gas in downtown St. Louis for testing. What???? Look it up, it happened and no one ever has told us what it was other than it was phosperous based. Why add a toxic substance to your water? My teeth are ruined because of it. Who is making money off this? This is who we need to find out because undoubtably, they know your mayor very well.

[marthtolkien]

It seems to me that it would be easier to just leave <a href="http://www.drmarkovich.com">dental in calgary</a>, or oregon, or wherever to the dentists. I guess that not everyone can afford dental work, though. Maybe it's a good idea after all!

[ChuckChipner]

This was very interesting to read. Do you know if fluoride has the same effects on <a href="http://www.mybite.ca/dentures.htm">calgary dentures</a> as it does on regular teeth?

[jordanwest444]

I really appreciate what was said in this article. Fluoride has always helped a lot of people keep their teeth healthy and stay away from cavities. I have a grandma that uses <a href="http://www.amerydenture.com/en/services.html">dentures in calgary</a>. Does fluoride have an affect on dentures? Does it matter if the water has it in it or no?

[jordanwest444]

I really appreciate what was said in this article. Fluoride has always helped a lot of people keep their teeth healthy and stay away from cavities. I have a grandma that uses <a href="http://www.amerydenture.com/en/services.html">dentures calgary</a>. Does fluoride have an affect on dentures? Does it matter if the water has it in it or no?

[damebochiew]

Thank you for this wonderful! They should have added fluoride in the water supply a long time ago. Like an our office of dental in Calgary we told our clients our important it is to use toothpastes that are high on fluoride. Good for them for doing this http://www.deervalleydentalcare.com/

[tac216]

Hitler was the first to put fluoride into the water supply, it had ZERO to do with cavities or dental health. Fluoride causes a "calming" sensation when ingested, thus quelling any who consume it. I too grew up with fluoride in my water supply in ohio and it did little to prevent my teeth from falling out of my face. I see no benefit for the populous of oregon in having fluoride added to the water, I have not seen any evidence in my research that supports it actually having any long term affect, I will NOT be drinking Oregon tap water, I will filter the water for my pets because I don't think they need the INDUSTRIAL GRADE SURPLUS FLUORIDE in their water either ...