On Wednesday, the Naples City Council voted to stop the practice of adding fluoride to the city’s water supply. It was decided with a 4-to-3 vote following public comment from citizens on both sides of the issue.
The city’s discussion on fluoridation began before Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Lapado recommended against fluoride being added to public drinking water on Nov. 22. However, Lapado has held public health views that are not in agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such as his position against the COVID-19 vaccine for infants and the elderly.
The American Dental Association (ADA) objected to Lapado’s stance and reaffirmed their support for community water fluoridation in a press release on Nov. 23.
Dr. Johnny Johnson, the president of the American Fluoridation Society, said fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral.
“Fluoride is an essential micronutrient that helps teeth to develop and be more cavity-resistant than they would be without it,” Johnson said.
He said everyone benefits from fluoride’s cavity-fighting action over their entire lifetimes.
“Fluoridated water is the most cost-effective way to get the right amount of fluoride to everyone in the community,” Johnson said. “The poorest families get twice as many cavities as those who aren’t poor. Fluoridation helps to level the playing field between the haves and have-nots. It benefits everyone, regardless of income, age, race, ethnicity, level of education, or access to dental care.”
In October, the Naples City Council heard from citizens against water fluoridation. They referenced studies that said fluoride lowers the IQ of children and weakens the elderly’s bones.
Later that month, the city attorney prepared an amendment to the city ordinance to stop water fluoridation. On Nov. 6, during the first reading, the council voted 4-to-3 to stop the practice.
On the day of the second reading, more than two dozen people spoke during public comment on both sides of the issue.
Some medical professionals urged the council to continue fluoridating the water supply.
“Consider what will happen if we remove the fluoride from water,” Dr. Marilyn Sandor, a pediatric dentist in Naples, said. “Many children are going to experience oral disease. They will have more cavities, and that will mean more artificial materials plugged into their mouths, more artificial materials being ingested on a daily basis, more toothaches, more pain, more school hours lost. Please be reassured that the observations and the articles that are attempting correlations between IQ in children being lowered by fluoride are misrepresenting the facts for shock factor, and I would recommend that people read them much more closely and think logically.”
Other medical professionals urged the council to do the opposite.
“Fluoridated community water makes no sense with the availability of over-the-counter or even prescribed fluoride products since fluoride does not eliminate decay and is a known neurotoxin,” Dr. Tim Driscoll, a general dentist for 22 years, said. “It is my recommendation to remove fluoride from our community water supply and let citizens make informed decisions for themselves and their family on the use or elimination of fluoride in their daily lives."
Naples resident Laura Reynolds of Naples said the council needs to look at science and facts when voting on the ordinance.
“The American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Dental Association continue to support community water fluoridation and the current low levels in our drinking water, and yet here we are in 2024 considering voting to remove fluoride From our public water supply,” Reynolds said.
Naples resident Keith Law felt differently.
“Why would we force a neurotoxin medical treatment on our children that reduces their chances for academic excellence? Individual rights extend to the basic human right of informed consent, the right to opt out of a medical treatment,” Law said.
Council members held the same positions they did during the first reading. Council member Bill Kramer said liking fluoride has nothing to do with imposing it on someone who doesn’t want it.
“For those that want us to impose it on others, I don't understand your thought process. Just because it has been done doesn't mean we should continue to do it, even if it's the greatest thing ever. The rationale for me falls flat,” Kramer said.
Council member Raymond Christman disagreed.
“This has been a major public health benefit to our country as it is a cost-efficient way to provide this cavity-fighting aid to a wide population, but especially the people in communities that need it most because they lack health insurance, access to dentists, or do not always practice good oral care at home,” Christman said.
Mayor Teresa Heitmann said she didn’t think there was a reason to put fluoride in the water supply.
“This is not an easy decision because when I look in the room, I see people I respect, and I truly find it hard to come against people that I respect,” Heitmann said.
Vice Mayor Terry Hutchison and Council Member Berne Barton voted for the ordinance. Council members Beth Petrunoff and Linda Penniman voted against it.
Fluoridation of the city’s water supply will end on Jan. 1, 2025, or earlier if possible.