Health

Bill Focused on Dental Health of School-Aged Children Passes Committee on Rules and Judiciary

A bill that seeks to establish a full dental program in public schools while lowering the required minimum amount of fluoride in fresh water distributed for public consumption was approved in the Committee on Rules and Judiciary on Tuesday. The measure lowers the required minimum amount of fluoride from not less than eight-tenths of one milligram per liter to not less than seven-tenths. "This level is set to promote public health benefits of fluoride for preventing tooth decay while minimizing the chance for dental fluorosis and other side-effects of excessive fluoride intake," according to a summary of the bill.  "Tooth decay is the most chronic childhood disease, even more common than asthma, and impacts a child’s ability to carry out normal everyday activities," said Senator Novelle Francis, who sponsored the measure. He said a “growing body of research have identified a connection between oral and chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes and other serious conditions that a...