Kentucky lawmakers ignore dentists, could let towns stop putting fluoride in water

FRANKFORT — A bill that would allow local communities to stop fluoridating their water gained nearly unanimous support in a House committee on Thursday despite dental experts' opposition.

House Bill 141's sponsor, Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, has proposed the measure in the past but this is the first time it received a committee hearing.

“It's a bill that will undo an unfunded state mandate and return … this decision (to fluoridate water) to local control,” Hart said.

He said the bill does not remove fluoride from the water. Rather, it allows local municipalities and water districts to remove fluoride if they choose.

Kentucky consistently ranks among the worst states for dental health. A 2023 assessment reported the state has more people 65 or older missing all of their natural teeth than any other state.

Supporters of the bill said fluoridating water does not help protect teeth and could lead to lower IQs in children or lead to other health problems.

But dental professionals pushed back on those claims.

Fluoridation of water is one of the top 10 public health innovations of the 20^th century, said Dr. Stephen Robertson, a dentist who is the executive director of the Kentucky Dental Association, and scientific evidence strongly supports fluoridation as a health-promoting measure.

Robertson said his patients who relied on non-fluoridated well or cistern water had much higher rates of decay than those who had access to a fluoridated public water supply.

“Let us not today be guilty of removing this oral health benefit from our arsenal — the one public health measure that has the ability to improve the lives of our fellow Kentuckians, perhaps even beyond our ability to measure,” Robertson said.

The American Dental Association "unreservedly" endorses the fluoridation of community water supplies as a key measure for preventing tooth decay.

Mary Ann Burch, a retired dental hygienist who was spoke on behalf of the Kentucky Dental Hygienists' Association, added that the move could impact taxpayers' wallets.

“An increase in the dental decay will increase the cost of Medicaid significantly,” she said. “Prevention is our best answer.”

Burch pointed to the shortage of dental providers in the state and the difficulty some Kentuckians have accessing dental care, whether for reasons of distance and cost. She added that children with severe dental issues miss school and are distracted while in the classroom.

“Please consider our professional advice,” Burch said.

Gerth 2023 column: Some Kentucky lawmakers want fluoride removed from tap water. Kids teeth be damned

Those arguments appeared to carry little weight with committee members who nearly unanimously approved the bill on a 16-1 vote. Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, provided the sole “no” vote and Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton, D-Shively, passed.

Reach Rebecca Grapevine at rgrapevine@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky bill would let communities stop putting fluoride in water