Conclusion

            While fluoridation forces expanded unchecked for over 50 years, the last decade has seen a significant swing in momentum. Community groups are rallying around a growing scientific body of evidence as well as the organizational and informational potential of the internet. Community water controversies are interesting in that they occur on a local level, but reflect similar controversies ongoing nationwide. The internet has served as a network to coalesce these separate movements. By sharing resources and strategies, as well as garnishing national publicity, battles have been won despite strong expert and financial opposition. Whether you believe this represents a victory of citizen science or “one of the major triumphs of quackery over science in our generation” (http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsid.657/news_detail.asp), it is certainly a controversy worthy of study.

            The safety of municipal water fluoridation is unquestionably controversial. The competing sides of the debate work from completely different sets of scientific findings, and are quick to dismiss their opponents’ evidence as unscientific. If there is to be some general agreement on the safety of fluoridation, there must first be agreement on the science itself. To this end, I believe the federal government should commission a comprehensive study with respected, third party, unbiased researchers. While there would certainly be those who still clung to contradicting research, it would give some guidance to the average concerned citizen attempting to make sense of the mess of research that exists.

            Whether concerns are real or baseless, it is clear that there are a large number of people who do not want fluoride added to their water. Further, fluoride toothpaste and other oral health advancements have reduced the relative benefits of fluoridated water. While the health risks are unclear, those who do not wish to consume fluoridated water should be able to avoid it. For this reason, I feel the way in which fluoride is distributed is worthy of review. The expansion of fluoridated water sources should, in my opinion, be limited while a comprehensive national review is performed. Ultimately, I feel that continuing to adhere the democratic process is the best way to deal with this controversy, such that you allow individuals to have a say in whether or not their community uses municipal water fluoridation.