DaytonDailyNews.com

TROY — The debate over fluoridating public water supplies is "junk science, cheap trickery and fear tactics" versus more than 60 years of evidence.

That's how Jim Luken, Miami County health commissioner, sees it.

Luken told a City Council committee last week that fluoridation is "universal prevention ... cheap, inexpensive, harmless."

Several attending the meeting, however, worried about the possible long-term effects of fluoride. Luken said the Centers for Disease Control, the American Dental Association and the Ohio Department of Health all endorse fluoridation of municipal water systems.

Healthy Teeth for Troy, a group of dental and medical professionals, is preparing to circulate petitions to get a fluoridation measure on the November ballot.

The group would need 784 signatures by Aug. 23.

Troy and Covington are the only two municipal water systems in Miami County that aren't fluoridated. More than 90 percent of the municipal water systems in Ohio are fluoridated.

Opponents pointed out dental and dietary education would be as effective as fluoridation without forcing everyone to drink fluoridated water.

Luken told the committee the "forced medication" argument is trumped by public health concerns. "Other 'forced medications' that we all know and accept are chlorine in our water supply to kill bacteria, niacin in our flour to prevent pellagra, iodine in our salt to prevent goiter, and vitamin D in our milk to prevent rickets and build strong bones."

"We get so many chemicals in our systems already," resident Howard Cooper said. "Now you want to add more?"

Luken earlier had said fluoride was a naturally occurring trace element "in the air, the soil, the water, the rock, and even in mother's milk."

"This is the one thing we can do," local pediatrician Paul Weber said, "other than in a perfect world where every child regularly sees a dentist."

Startup costs would be around $300,000. Annual costs are estimated at $20,000-$25,000, which would be covered by state money for the first year.

Contact this reporter at (937) 335-3838

or dpage@DaytonDailyNews.com.