Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - To the surprise of the public, including most city officials, Buffalo has not had fluoride in the drinking water since 2015. After coming to the attention of local officials and residents via local news reports, Buffalo's Water Board is bringing the fluoride back.
The Buffalo Common Council continues to be proactive in addressing the issue as soon as possible, which is what prompted them to invite dental experts to share testimony during Tuesday's Community Development committee session slated for 1 p.m. EST.
"They've agreed for us to come and provide statements about fluoridation and the importance of it," said Dr. Joseph Gambacorta, Associate Dean for University at Buffalo's School of Dental Medicine. "I think what they're looking to do, as the common council, is find out exactly what's going on, why this is happening, and what the impact has been on the population."
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According to Dr. Gambacorta, there is significant importance to having fluoride in the city's water.
"You would definitely see some impact, and you would see this mostly in children in developing teeth, because fluoride enhances remineralization and inhibits demineralization of tooth structure and reduces the activity of the bacteria that causes dental decay or caries," the doctor said. "Without that, you are left with one less methodology of combating dental caries.
"Fluoride works really well, when it's a repetitive thing. So when you're having a glass of water every day and you're brushing your teeth with the fluoride toothpaste two, three times a day, you're constantly bathing teeth within fluoride to help prevent caries from developing."
In addition, the Buffalo Water Authority has been requested to speak during the meeting as well, as response to a letter from Councilman David Rivera.
What's Dr. Gambacorta's main message for the council? Get the fluoride in the water as soon as possible, he told WBEN. "There's a lot of naysayers out there that fluoride in the water doesn't do anything. There's always a pros and cons to every type of situation. But in this situation, there's a lot of literature that's been published to demonstrate the positive impact of fluoridation in the water system."
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While all of this is ensuing, there is currently a class action lawsuit being filed against the City of Buffalo from a resident.