BITES&BRIEFS

MOMOM 4 in Columbia, Register to Volunteer Before July 13 Deadline

Plans are underway for the next stop of the Missouri Mission of Mercy (MOMOM) July 31-August 1 in Columbia at the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse on the University of Missouri campus. Both the local committee and MDA staff are hard at work to plan a great event to help many in need; but simply put, we cannot do it without volunteers. Go online today to www.MOMOM.org to learn more about becoming a volunteer, watch past years' videos and more. ONLINE VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION CLOSES JULY 13!

ADA Applauds Final Announcement on

Optimal Fluoride Level in Drinking Water The ADA commended the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for announcing the final recommendation for the optimal level of fluoride in community water systems on April 27, 2015. The recom- mended ratio of fluoride to water, newly calibrated at 0.7 parts per mil- lion, results from years of scientifically rigorous analysis of the amount of fluoride people receive from all sources.

The ADA supports the recommendation, which was released for com- ment four years ago. The new recommendation will help ensure an effective level of fluoride to reduce the incidence of tooth decay, while minimizing the risk of cosmetic fluorosis in the general population.

Extending the availability of optimally fluoridated water is one of eight initiatives of Action for Dental Health, launched by the ADA in 2013 with the goal of making good oral health available to all Americans, especially those who lack adequate access to preventive and restorative care. Through both education and advocacy, the ADA and state dental societies have set a goal to bring fluoridated water to 80 percent of the population on public water systems by 2020, using a baseline level of 74 percent in 2010.

JADA: Rethinking Dentist Shortages

In the May JADA Health Policy Perspectives column, Marko Vujicic, chief economist at the ADA and vice president of the Health Policy Institute, discusses dentist shortages. He argues that the current debate on the adequacy of the dentist workforce is fraught with conceptual and empirical shortcomings, and calls for a new approach to estimating dental workforce needs.

Read the column here: http://jada.ada. org/article/S0002-8177%2815%2900391- 8/pdf.

ADA DIETARY FLUORIDE SUPPLEMENT GUIDE UNCHANGED

The ADA’s dietary fluoride supplement recommendations remain unchanged in light of the new guidelines for com- munity water fluoridation in the U.S. released in April by the U.S. Public Health Service. The new fluoride level (0.7 ppm) in drinking water was sup- ported by the ADA, but does not change the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs’ systematic review and clinical recommen- dation for the use of dietary fluoride supplements that was released in 2010.

Read the full story at www.ada.org/en/ publications/ada-news/2015-archive/ may/adas-dietary-fluoride-supplement- guidelines-unchanged-after-new-us- fluoride-rule?nav=news.

ROLLA TO BRING WATER FLUORIDATION LEVEL IN LINE WITH FEDERAL RECOMMENDATION

Featured in the May 13 ADA Morning Huddle was a report from The Rolla Daily News which stated that the community may take up a motion to adjust its fluoride level to keep it in line with the recent U.S. Public Health Service recommendation of a uniform 0.7 milligrams per liter. Although all parties were amenable to the change, the board will consider the Rolla Municipal Utilities’ recommendation at its next meeting. Rolla Utilities general manager Rodney Bourne said, “The goal of community water fluoridation is to achieve the desired oral health benefit while minimizing potential health risks,” adding, “Water providers undergo thorough and extensive training to safely apply fluoride in the amount recommended by the world’s most respected public health authorities.” The article went on to note that the town’s mayor, a chemist, in the past has vehemently defended water fluoridation against a lone agitator.

12 focus | MAY/JUN 2015 | ISSUE 3