Our Oral Health is at Risk

The Health Trust has a longstanding commitment to oral health; we’ve invested close to $6 million over the last six years in providing services and oral health education as part of our vision of making Silicon Valley the healthiest region in America. We opened a new state of the art Children’s Dental Center in East San Jose just this past summer. Given our commitment to this issue, we are profoundly concerned about the state of oral health in Silicon Valley. A 2001 Health Trust study found about one in three kindergarteners and third graders had untreated tooth decay, and the 2005-2006 Santa Clara County Behavioral Risk Factor Survey found a third of adults have lost a tooth due to decay or gum disease. Given our commitment to health equity and reducing health disparities, we are especially concerned that poor oral health disproportionately affects low income and minority kids in our community.

Fluoride: A Proven Solution

San Jose is now the largest city in the country without fluoridated water. Several other cities in our Valley are without fluoridation, or are only partially fluoridated. According to the Centers for Disease Control, water fluoridation reduces tooth decay 18%-40% in children and adults, and is “one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th Century.”

The Health Trust supports Santa Clara County Supervisor and Board President Liz Kniss’ goal of fluoridating Santa Clara County within the next five years and is working with the Santa Clara County Public Health Department and community members’ work towards a solution.

Find out more information about the oral health landscape in Silicon Valley along with The Health Trust's work in this arena by clicking on one of the reports or resources on the right. For more information on water fluoridation in Silicon Valley, contact:

Nicole Kohleriter
Director of Communications
(408) 879-4112
NicoleK@healthtrust.org