Letter to the Editor:

In the late 1950s, I was a student at Temple University’s School of Dental Hygiene which was housed at that time in Temple’s Dental School.

One of my classmates was from Colorado and she was unique in that she had never had a cavity. It was noticed that there were “pockets” of people like my classmate who were so resistant to tooth decay that a study needed to be done.  Those studies revealed that a substance called fluoride appeared naturally in the water in those areas.  Adding Fluoride to drinking water (one part per million) could help reduce tooth decay.

At that same time Temple was bringing elementary school children—whole classrooms at a time—into the clinic for services and the dental hygiene girls saw them first. Their mouths were a mess and these children were living with the pain associated with rampant decay.

I will forever remember the child who told me that there was a toothbrush at home but it was too big for his mouth!  

The child-sized toothbrush that I presented him with, along with brushing instructions, made him so happy.  I don’t doubt that he shared that brush with his siblings! 

Removing fluoride from drinking water will return us right back to 1960 when inner city children lived with unnecessary pain.  It costs so little and helps so much. All children in this country do not receive regular dental care.

I would like to add that the cavity-free classmate that I referred to is still alive and well, and remains cavity free! 

Shirley Annand, a retired registered dental hygenist
New Garden Township