Line Rot – Science Poetry

It starts
Pipeline place
Forgot their mission –
No bite marks,
No shield
In the Milk Teeth Year.
Granular Loss –
Gravel-like formation
In the gums
Before pain
name.
Fee less than
whole –
They’re scattered
Enter the waiting room,
The wage gap,
Missed it for a few days.
Some teeth ruptured
Clean.
Others are tired
In the silence of low light
One sugar
Wire
once.

The poem was inspired by recent research that found that the amount of fluoride extracted from U.S. water was $9.8 billion.

For decades, the addition of fluoride to public water supplies has played an important role in preventing tooth decay in the United States, especially children. However, growing concerns about possible health risks have led to calls for such practice to stop. The potential consequences of such a move are far-reaching. Dental attenuation remains one of the most common chronic health conditions in children, and any increase in cases can deepen existing health inequality, especially for children without private dental insurance, while increasing pressure on already stretched public health services.

This study explores what could happen if fluoride was removed from the U.S. public water supply system. Using health data from more than 8,000 children, the researchers created a simulation model to estimate changes in oral health and health care costs. Their findings are clear: within five years, fluorination may cause 25 million children to attenuate, with a 7.5% increase in dental attenuation and an additional dental cost of nearly $10 billion. This impact is the most severe for children from low-income families. Despite concerns about high levels of fluoride, the study shows that maintaining safe fluoride levels continues to protect children’s health and reduce public health care costs.