Dean Feldman: New Jersey Needs Fluoridated Water Now

Dean Cecile A. Feldman

After a recent University of Alaska study revealed an increase in childhood dental decay in two cities that halted the use of fluoridated water,  Dean Cecile A. Feldman stressed the importance of fluoridation — and why it's imperative that New Jersey implement the public health measure statewide.

In a Rutgers Today Q&A that was also featured on the website Medical Xpress, Dean Feldman described how fluoride in drinking water plays a key role in preventing dental disease. She also called for change in the Garden State, where only 15 percent of residents live in towns with fluoridated water. New Jersey has the second lowest rate of fluoridated water in the nation, after Hawaii.

Says Feldman: "For more than a decade, the New Jersey Dental Association and the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine have pushed for state officials to mandate statewide water fluoridation. The latest effort, in 2013, resulted in legislation that was voted down. Similar legislation was also voted down in 2018. But the need has been just as great. Hopefully, the public and state government will soon recognize the tremendous value of water fluoridation. As a growing mountain of evidence shows its efficacy, it gets harder to ignore."

Read the entire Q&A here.