Fluoride alternatives

EDITOR: Fluoridation has been debated since before the 1950s, and the debate is now emerging in Sonoma County. I hope the Board of Supervisors took note of the eloquent column by Kelley Larsen ("Some arguments against fluoridating our water," Close to Home, March 15).

It bears understanding why the majority of European countries do not add fluoride to water. I, too, am concerned about tooth decay, especially in children; however, I suggest going to the root of the problem.

I refer to the extensive work of the prominent dentist Weston A. Price. Price left his Cleveland dental practice to travel the world for several years in search of the answers to the causes of the tooth decay and misshapen facial structures. The results are recorded in his tome, "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration," published in 1939, nine years after he shifted his focus from focal infection to nutrition.

Taking this a step further, Larsen wisely suggests spending fluoridation monies for "real dental treatment programs or oral health education." Such programs could teach people about participating in, and taking responsibility for, their own dental health and could simultaneously help reduce the false belief that government will take care of us.

JOHN VAN DORP

Santa Rosa