Meeting with Policymakers/Decision-makers on Community Water Fluoridation

This document is meant to be a guide for your discussion, rather than a script set in stone.

Let your instincts guide the discussion givenyour personal and/or professional relationship with the (City Counselor/Town Counselor/Board of Select member, etc.).

Remember to focus on your community’s values first (rather than the science behind water fluoridation). If you have not had a chance to determine the values your community, then focus on a strong sense of community and family among residents and a desire to make your community as healthy as possible.As a Community Champion – someone who is a respected and trusted member of the community – you can speak to policymakers with authority and represent your community values well.

To make the conversation run smoothly, make sure you have your fact sheets on “Fluoride 101” and “Myths and Facts”. Policymakers/decisionmakers may have some questions for you and you want to be able to answer their questions…or provide them the background fact sheets.

You don’t need to be an expert on water fluoridation; just have basic water fluoridation facts. And remember, you will leave behind the packet of information that includes resources for further information.

Let the conversation begin….

  • [INTRODUCTION]Thank you so much for agreeing to sit down with me. And thank you for your time. I know you are busy.
  • [WHO YOU ARE][If you are part of a coalition or have created a name for your water fluoridation effort or campaign, let the policymaker know about this. It is not necessary to be affiliated with a coalition or organization or to have a “name” for the effort].

Example: I am from [organization/coalition name here]. All of us either live or work in the community of [city/town name here] and care deeply about the health and future of our community and the families that call it home.

We are invested in our community. In everyone in our community.

That’s why I am here today to talk with you about improvingtheoral health of [Insert your community name here]. Healthy teeth means healthy bodies and minds. Promoting healthy teeth up front prevents unnecessary pain and tooth loss and a waste of taxpayer money.

  • [PROBLEM - ORAL HEALTH FACTS]Some facts about oral health (in your community. If you can’t get local data, then rely on state data which you can find on your state’s public health department website. Be sure to choose a few facts that are relevant based on whom you are talking to).
  • NATIONAL DATA: Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among children[i]
  • STATE DATA (For example, in Massachusetts, over half of MA children ages 6-8 have cavities[ii] while more than one-quarter of them ages 2-4 have cavities.[iii])
  • 15% of kids ages 2-4 have untreated tooth decay. [iv]
  • 37% of Head Start kids had decay in 2005 while the national average was only 5%. [v]
  • 30% of adults with annual incomes less than $25,000 are missing 6 or more teeth. [vi]
  • Adults with less education suffer greater oral health disparities. Less than [Insert %] of adults in [Insert your state](ages 25-44) with at least a college suffered some tooth loss. While almost [Insert %] of adults with a high school diploma experienced tooth loss.[vii]
  • (Example: Black and Hispanic adults in MA experience far greater tooth loss than White adults. [viii])
  • (Example: Black children in MA have a higher percentage of cavities than those nationally.[ix])
  • [CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR HEALTHY TEETH]There are many factors that contribute to healthy, cavity-free teeth including preventive care, a healthy diet, and access to fluoridated water. As you know, many people in Brockton do not have access to care and may also feel that they can’t afford healthy food.

INSERT YOUR PERSONAL STORY(everyone has a personal story to tell about their teeth or those of someone they know/love).

  • [COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION] Community water fluoridation, a safe, effective and cost efficient preventive strategy, prevents tooth decay and is one of very few public health prevention measures that offerslong-term cost savings to almost all communities.[x]
  • Community water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the level of fluoride that is naturally found in water, either up or down, for optimal oral health benefit. It makes public health AND economic sense, because:
  • It reaches everyone in the community regardless of their ability to access dental care.
  • In 2009, 42% of communities in Massachusetts that could be fluoridated were not.[xi]
  • Only 59% of MA residents benefit from water fluoridation making MA 36th in the nation.[xii]
  • The Centers for Disease Control considers water fluoridation to be one of the top public health achievements of the 20th century and water fluoridation is supported by ever major health and medical organization including the ADA (American Dental Association); the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the American Dental Hygienists Association.
  • [ASKS] Would you support community water fluoridation for the health of [Insert your community]?
  • [IF YES] Would you share this information with your colleague (via newsletter, email or meetings); would you sign this pledge card?; would you put this in the agenda for your next meeting?
  • [IF NOT SURE OR NO] Would you be willing to review this information in the packet? I will follow up with you for any questions you might have.
  • Let me stop there and see if you have any questions?
  • [IF THEY ASK FOR MORE DATA OR QUESTIOS THAT YOU CAN NOT ANSWER] I will follow up with you to provide the information.

Be sure to leave behind: fact sheets on water fluoridation, information you may have on your community regarding oral health; people/organizations locally/statewide that support water fluoridation; links to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ilikemyteeth.org for supporting documentation; and, your contact information).

  • Thank you.

1

[i]Dye BA, Tan S, Smith V, Lewis BG, Barker LK, Thornton-Evans G, Eke PI, Beltrán-Aguilar ED, Horowitz AM, Li CH. Trends in oral health status, United States, 1988-1994 and 1999-2004. Vital Health Stat 11. 2007;(248):1-92

[ii]

[iii] Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009 @

[iv] Delta Dental 2008

[v] Statewide Survey of MA Head Start Children 2004

[vi] BRFSS 2006, National Oral Health Surveillance System

[vii] Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009

[viii] BRFSS 2006, National Oral Health Surveillance System

[ix] Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009

[x]Griffin SO, Jones K, Tomar SL. An economic evaluation of community water fluoridation. J

Public Health Dent 2001;61(2):78–86. Abstract available at

[xi] Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 2009

[xii] Ibid

.