EShlikar (Portland Mercury letters, May 9) says the city should provide a program of free fluoride tablets.
Guess what ... they already do! Our child is in the PPS system, and we've watched teachers feed fluoride pills to those whose parents haven't opted out (about half, in my kid's class). Unlike water fluoridation, at least the program is optional.
If Portland wants a cost-effective program to really improve kids' dental health, we should adopt Seattle's school-based dental sealant program. That, and not fluoride, is why Seattle's cavity rates have dropped below those of Portland. Prior to implementing the program, fluoridated Seattle had higher rates of tooth decay than we do.
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