Oswego’s Water Fluoridation Program Wins Award

November 16, 2008 Contributor

Submitted article

</p>The city of Oswego receives a 2007 Water Fluoridation Award from the Centers for Disease Control. At hand for the presentation were (l-r): Natalie Roy, associate public health sanitarian for the Oswego County Health Department; Dennis Norfleet, M. D., interim public health director for the Oswego County Health Department; Brian Folgherait, plant manager for the city of Oswego Water Treatment Plant; and the Honorable Randy Bateman, mayor of the city of Oswego.
The city of Oswego receives a 2007 Water Fluoridation Award from the Centers for Disease Control. At hand for the presentation were (l-r): Natalie Roy, associate public health sanitarian for the Oswego County Health Department; Dennis Norfleet, M. D., interim public health director for the Oswego County Health Department; Brian Folgherait, plant manager for the city of Oswego Water Treatment Plant; and the Honorable Randy Bateman, mayor of the city of Oswego.

The New York State Department of Health recently announced that the city of Oswego has been awarded a Fluoridation Quality Award for 2007 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC presents this award to water systems that maintain an optimum fluoridation level of 1.0 mg per liter for twelve consecutive months and consistently reports daily and monthly samples to the state Department of Health. This level is achieved when the fluoride amounts in finished water are maintained in the control range of 0.8 to 1.2 mg per liter.

“I would like to congratulate the city of Oswego on receiving this award for their quality drinking water system,” said Dennis Norfleet, M.D., interim public health director for the Oswego County Health Department. “The efforts of Plant Manager Brian Folgherait and the staff of the Water Treatment Plant to maintain this supply have had a positive impact on the public health of the residents they serve in Oswego County.”

Studies show that fluoride prevents the formation or progression of cavities. Daily and frequent exposure to small amounts of fluoride has been accepted as a safe, effective and inexpensive method of preventing tooth decay.
“The CDC included water fluoridation, which began in the 1940s, in its list of ten great public health achievements of the 20th century,” said Dr. Norfleet.

He added, “Our continued use of fluoride in municipal drinking water, combined with good self-care practices, such as brushing your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, is credited for the significant reduction in tooth decay. It is particularly important to teach these habits to our children as they build healthy routines that they will carry throughout their lives.”

To learn more about the water fluoridation program or healthy dental practices, call the Oswego County Health Department at 349-3547 or visit the New York State Department of Health Web site at www.nyhealth.gov.

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1 Comment

  1. New York State Department of Health dentist J. V. Kumar published national statistics in the July 2009 JADA which show similar cavity rates regardless of water fluoride content, However, dental fluorosis rates increased along with water fluoride levels. See analysis “Fluoridation No Benefit; Definite Harm,” by Kathleen M. Thiessen, Ph.D., SENES Oak Ridge, Inc., Center for Risk Analysis here:

    http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/Clinch_2009_No_Benefit_Definite_Harm.pdf

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