OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — No child goes to the dentist hoping to hear, "You have a cavity."
Jessica Meeske, a pediatric dentist in Hastings, says water fluoridation is beneficial and that kids, adults, and seniors have a significant reduction in tooth decay because of it.
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"The benefits are so great, and the risks and the cost are relatively small," Meeske said.
Meeske says in most Nebraska communities, there isn't enough fluoride in the water that occurs naturally, so municipalities bring it up to a level of 0.7 parts per million.
"That's the optimal amount that provides benefits to the teeth without increasing risk to the rest of the body," Meeske said.
She says for the last two years, there has been a bill in the Unicameral that would require communities to re-evaluate the issue.
"There is not a single medical or dental organization in the state of Nebraska that would support the removal of fluoride from the community's water supply," Meeske said.
A few weeks ago, before Mayor John Ewing Jr. took office, I asked him what he would do if U.S. Secretary of Health RFK Jr. instructed fluoride be removed from our water.
"I think that is a MUD question, but I am not going to try to dictate to MUD how they provide water to us. I think that is their decision to make," Ewing said.
Reporter Molly Hudson asked MUD, who sent this statement:
"State law dictates fluoridation within the public water supply. Metropolitan Utilities District complies with the drinking water regulations set forth by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. The District will not speculate as to what water treatment would look like if the State was directed to do something different regarding fluoridation. The District instead is focused on its treatment processes that continue to meet or exceed all state and federal regulatory requirements.
In 2008, the Nebraska Unicameral passed LB 245 which requires all Nebraska cities and towns with populations over 1,000 to add fluoride to public water systems. Both the Missouri and Platte Rivers have naturally occurring fluoride in the range of 0.3 to 0.5 parts per million (ppm). The District adds enough fluoride to make the tap water concentration approximately 0.7 ppm, well below the federal limit of 4.0 ppm. The District’s latest annual water quality report can be found here [mudomaha.com]."
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