Shawnee Can’t Afford to Fluoridate, and Kids Are Getting Cavities

• Joe Wertz
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  Joe Wertz was a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma from 2011-2019. He reported on energy and environment issues for national NPR audiences and other national outlets. He previously worked as a managing editor, assistant editor and staff reporter at several major Oklahoma newspapers and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.

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The count of kids with cavities is on the rise in Pottawatomie County, where no fluoride is added to the public water systems.

And pediatric health groups and a local dental association are sounding alarms, the Shawnee News-Star’s Madi Alexander reports:

Dr. Nan Shadid, who has been a dentist in Shawnee for 28 years, said she has noticed a significant increase in the number of children with cavities since Shawnee ceased water fluoridation.

Water in Shawnee has naturally occurring fluoride, “but their concentration does not meet the CDC standard for the prevention of tooth decay,” the paper reports. The health groups have asked the city to resume fluoridation, which was stopped in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina disrupted operations at its fluoride supplier.

But there’s a reason Shawnee hasn’t resumed fluoridation: It can’t afford it anymore.

From the News-Star:

Shawnee never resumed water fluoridation and no longer has the capability to do so, [said City Manager Brian McDougal]. Resuming fluoridation would require the city to build a new facility and system, which could cost between $150,000 and $200,000.