WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.900 [U.S. Public Health Service, 1798] 00:00:02.900 --> 00:00:13.333 [Federal Security Agency. Public Health Service, Division of Dental Public Health presents] 00:00:13.333 --> 00:00:19.999 [A Drop in the Bucket] 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:28.700 [Script by Oeveste Granducci, Directed by Joseph Henabery, Photographed by Andrew L. Gold] 00:00:28.700 --> 00:00:34.800 [Music] 00:00:34.800 --> 00:00:37.300 [Narrator:] This is Hillendale, USA. 00:00:37.300 --> 00:00:40.800 Just one American town. 00:00:40.800 --> 00:00:43.700 Of course, it looks like a lot of other American towns. 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:53.466 Your town. And like your town, it has its businesses, its homes, its cars, and its people, and children. 00:00:53.466 --> 00:00:58.232 Children just like youngsters in your town and dentists like Doc Jenkins. 00:00:58.233 --> 00:01:03.733 [Music] 00:01:03.733 --> 00:01:06.633 [Dr. Jenkins:] How are you, Ms. Carter? 00:01:06.633 --> 00:01:11.366 [Joe:] Hi, doc. How you doing? [Dr. Jenkins:] Hello, Joe. Pretty well, thank you. 00:01:11.366 --> 00:01:15.299 [Jimmy:] Hi, Dr. Jenkins. [Dr. Jenkins:] Hiya, Jimmy. 00:01:15.300 --> 00:01:19.966 [Narrator:] But there is something different about this town, something vitally different. 00:01:19.966 --> 00:01:30.199 A vital difference that at present affects mainly the children, and will affect them as long as they live. 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:36.433 You can't see the difference in their clothes or in the way they walk or play. 00:01:36.433 --> 00:01:42.966 You may not even notice it in their smiles, and yet that is where the difference is, in their smiles, 00:01:42.966 --> 00:01:44.699 in their mouths. 00:01:44.700 --> 00:01:48.900 Inside their mouths. 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:54.833 You may not see, but the trained eyes of Miss Jones, the dental hygienist can see... 00:01:54.833 --> 00:01:58.833 can see that something has happened to the teeth of the young children. 00:01:58.833 --> 00:02:04.299 Something that today is almost a dental miracle. 00:02:04.300 --> 00:02:10.966 For today, Miss Jones finds only one cavity for every three she found seven years ago. 00:02:10.966 --> 00:02:14.466 [Music] 00:02:14.466 --> 00:02:17.566 Seven years ago something happened in this town. 00:02:17.566 --> 00:02:19.599 Something very simple happened. 00:02:19.600 --> 00:02:23.200 Seven years ago something was added to this water. 00:02:23.200 --> 00:02:33.233 Added to this town's drinking water. 00:02:33.233 --> 00:02:37.366 It did something to the teeth or for them, and the children's teeth 00:02:37.366 --> 00:02:41.132 just don't have as many cavities anymore. 00:02:41.133 --> 00:02:46.433 And here's how it happened. 00:02:46.433 --> 00:02:49.633 [Dr. Jenkins:] Here's something interesting Miss [?], 00:02:49.633 --> 00:02:51.833 about fluoride in drinking water. 00:02:51.833 --> 00:02:53.233 Listen to this. 00:02:53.233 --> 00:02:58.633 A considerable amount of scientific evidence shows that children born and reared in areas 00:02:58.633 --> 00:03:03.466 having fluoride in their drinking water have fewer cavities than have children 00:03:03.466 --> 00:03:05.699 using fluoride-free water. 00:03:05.700 --> 00:03:11.900 This scientific evidence meant simply that this chemical would save teeth. 00:03:11.900 --> 00:03:16.433 Now, Doc Jenkins is in the business of saving teeth, and he knew what a job it is to cope 00:03:16.433 --> 00:03:22.633 with all the cavities in children's teeth. 00:03:22.633 --> 00:03:26.366 Doc knew that dental decay is the most widespread of all diseases. 00:03:26.366 --> 00:03:30.132 That there are literally millions of neglected tooth cavities. 00:03:30.133 --> 00:03:34.933 He knew that the average man or woman can look forward, without pleasure, 00:03:34.933 --> 00:03:39.033 to losing half their teeth before reaching 40. 00:03:39.033 --> 00:03:44.133 He knew that tooth decay begins early in life, in childhood, and that the time to start doing 00:03:44.133 --> 00:03:48.999 something about it is early, when children are less than eight years old, six, four, 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.333 two years, even earlier. 00:03:51.333 --> 00:03:57.233 Before tooth decay has a chance to affect their health. 00:03:57.233 --> 00:04:01.633 And while he knew, of course, that youngsters themselves could do some things, he recognized 00:04:01.633 --> 00:04:07.633 that he and the other grownups of his town would have to do a great deal more. 00:04:07.633 --> 00:04:14.033 So Doc got all the information he could about the then-new idea of fluoridation to save teeth. 00:04:14.033 --> 00:04:19.333 The facts were exciting, and Doc determined to do something about it. 00:04:19.333 --> 00:04:25.133 At dental conventions, he began bending the ears of his fellow dentists. 00:04:25.133 --> 00:04:31.133 Soon, full of enthusiasm, he got, at a most propitious moment, the ear of the mayor. 00:04:31.133 --> 00:04:33.833 [Mayor:] Fluoridation, eh? 00:04:33.833 --> 00:04:38.733 And so the mayor asked interested civic-minded groups to meet with the town council 00:04:38.733 --> 00:04:42.433 to hear the opinion of experts: dentists, physicians, 00:04:42.433 --> 00:04:47.533 the dental director of the state health department, and local health department people. 00:04:47.533 --> 00:04:52.333 [Mayor:] Now I'm going to ask Mr. Evans, chairman of the fluoridation committee, 00:04:52.333 --> 00:04:56.733 to take over the meeting. Mr. Evans. 00:04:56.733 --> 00:05:04.866 [Mr. Evans:] Thank you, mayor. First of all, I'd like to call on Dr. Foster. 00:05:04.866 --> 00:05:11.132 [Dr. Foster:] Well, speaking for myself as well as other dentists in this area, we are for fluoridation. 00:05:11.133 --> 00:05:16.199 We dentists are in business to save teeth, not just to fill them. 00:05:16.200 --> 00:05:20.233 [Mr. Evans:] Thank you, Dr. Foster. And now we're going to hear from Dr. Harris 00:05:20.233 --> 00:05:21.866 of our local health department. 00:05:21.866 --> 00:05:26.399 [Dr. Harris:] Our health department has received some studies on fluoridation 00:05:26.400 --> 00:05:28.966 from the state health department. 00:05:28.966 --> 00:05:32.766 [Narrator:] The local health department learned that children who drink water containing one part 00:05:32.766 --> 00:05:38.932 of naturally-occurring fluoride per million parts of water have two-thirds less tooth decay. 00:05:38.933 --> 00:05:43.833 Two-thirds less decay than children drinking ordinary water. 00:05:43.833 --> 00:05:48.033 [Dr. Harris:] That's why we at your health department feel that fluoridation 00:05:48.033 --> 00:05:50.866 merits your approval. 00:05:50.866 --> 00:05:52.832 [Man in bowtie:] I'd like to say something. 00:05:52.833 --> 00:05:55.933 I've heard that fluoride will make your teeth look ugly. 00:05:55.933 --> 00:06:02.733 Now, we don't want our children's teeth to look bad with black and yellow stains. Let's give up the idea. 00:06:02.733 --> 00:06:09.033 [Man with mustache:] He's right. And it makes the bones brittle, too. Does all sorts of things to your health. 00:06:09.033 --> 00:06:11.966 [Chairman:] Let's hear what our state dental director has to say about this matter. 00:06:11.966 --> 00:06:14.166 [State Dental Director:] Those statements are not right. 00:06:14.166 --> 00:06:19.099 Facts in our possession indicate that there is absolutely no danger. 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:23.500 [Narrator:] The state dental director's office had proof that only excessive amounts of fluoride 00:06:23.500 --> 00:06:28.300 can cause mottling of teeth, and that hundreds of thousands of people have used natural fluoride 00:06:28.300 --> 00:06:32.200 in the right amounts all their lives without harmful effects. 00:06:32.200 --> 00:06:37.033 [State Dental Director:] I'm sure the physician on this committee will agree that these people are just as healthy 00:06:37.033 --> 00:06:41.566 as people who drink ordinary water. 00:06:41.566 --> 00:06:44.332 [Physician:] That's exactly right. 00:06:44.333 --> 00:06:51.699 A great deal of sound medical evidence suggests that these chemical compounds will not harm the 00:06:51.700 --> 00:06:58.733 human system in any way when used in the recommended proportions, and further, 00:06:58.733 --> 00:07:07.333 will save teeth, and therefore make it easier for us doctors to preserve the health of the people of Hillendale. 00:07:07.333 --> 00:07:11.466 [Older woman in glasses and hat:] I like this fluoridation idea. 00:07:11.466 --> 00:07:16.799 [Narrator:] At meetings of women's groups, PTAs, and so on, the idea of better teeth for children, 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:21.566 with less strain on the pocketbook, had a strong appeal. 00:07:21.566 --> 00:07:26.532 [Water department supervisor:] Well, we people in the water department are ready to do the job. 00:07:26.533 --> 00:07:29.366 [Man in back wearing glasses:] Have you got the facts in regards to the cost of this? 00:07:29.366 --> 00:07:33.766 [Mr. Evans:] Yes, sir, we have gone into the matter quite fully. 00:07:33.766 --> 00:07:37.566 [Narrator:] The low cost of installation and maintenance was fully explained, 00:07:37.566 --> 00:07:42.866 and then recommendations were presented to the people of Hillendale. 00:07:42.866 --> 00:07:50.466 Community-wide discussion started, and a hot discussion it was on both sides of the question. 00:07:50.466 --> 00:07:52.532 [Man outdoors wearing hat:] What do you mean, fluoride? 00:07:52.533 --> 00:07:57.966 I like my water clean and pure, not doped up with a lot of chemicals. 00:07:57.966 --> 00:08:04.999 [Man on the street smoking cigar:] Anything that will give my kids good teeth and save me dough, boy, I'm for that. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:08.233 [Gas station worker:] Fluoridation. Stupid. 00:08:08.233 --> 00:08:12.566 [Shirtless man working outside:] Well, I tell you this. If it's going to help the kid, it's a very good. 00:08:12.566 --> 00:08:17.766 Me, I oughta know. I got eight. 00:08:17.766 --> 00:08:20.466 [Narrator:] Yes, sir. When town meeting time rolled around again, 00:08:20.466 --> 00:08:22.932 the folks in Hillendale were pretty excited. 00:08:22.933 --> 00:08:26.666 [Man wearing tie and glasses:] I'd like to ask a question. Won't the water taste funny? 00:08:26.666 --> 00:08:30.566 [Water department supervisor:] Fluoride will add neither taste nor odor to the water. 00:08:30.566 --> 00:08:33.666 [Woman wearing pearls:] What will it do to my clothes when I wash them? 00:08:33.666 --> 00:08:40.166 [Water department supervisor:] Madam, fluoride will not color the water nor will it harden it or soften it. 00:08:40.166 --> 00:08:45.032 [Man wearing polka-dot tie:] Well, now, tell me this. How's it going to affect my liver? 00:08:45.033 --> 00:08:48.366 [Audience laughs.] 00:08:48.366 --> 00:08:51.066 [Physician:] Medically speaking, it will have no effect. 00:08:51.066 --> 00:08:57.366 [Jim:] Some towns, they put fluoride in the water. Others, they take it out. How come? 00:08:57.366 --> 00:08:59.699 [Mr. Evans:] Well, Jim, let me explain that. 00:08:59.700 --> 00:09:04.800 Towns that have too much natural fluoride in the water must take it out, 00:09:04.800 --> 00:09:09.800 but towns that have no fluoride, they must add enough to do the job. 00:09:09.800 --> 00:09:11.866 [Jim:] But why add the stuff? 00:09:11.866 --> 00:09:16.099 I like my water the way it is, not medicated. 00:09:16.100 --> 00:09:19.100 Fluoridation is just another name for mass medication. 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:23.333 [Physician:] Why, you don't add fluoride to cure a disease. 00:09:23.333 --> 00:09:26.933 You add fluoride to prevent disease, tooth decay. 00:09:26.933 --> 00:09:31.866 Why, we've been adding chlorine to our water for a long time now to prevent disease. 00:09:31.866 --> 00:09:35.766 No one calls that mass medication. 00:09:35.766 --> 00:09:37.932 [Woman with young daughter:] Will it hurt our goldfish or guppies? 00:09:37.933 --> 00:09:40.766 [Audience laughs] 00:09:40.766 --> 00:09:44.399 [Physician:] The amount we propose will harm no living creature. 00:09:44.400 --> 00:09:47.966 [Man holding baby:] What I want to know is, how much is it going to cost me? 00:09:47.966 --> 00:09:51.532 [Mayor:] It'll cost you about ten cents a year per person. 00:09:51.533 --> 00:09:53.533 That's just a drop in the bucket. 00:09:53.533 --> 00:10:00.333 Because the fact is, every one of you citizens of Hillendale can pay your share of thirty years 00:10:00.333 --> 00:10:04.433 of fluoridation for the price of filling one tooth. 00:10:04.433 --> 00:10:09.166 [Narrator:] And that was about it, for the people of Hillendale had the courage of their convictions. 00:10:09.166 --> 00:10:14.299 Decided to pioneer on the strength of the available evidence even before fluoridation was endorsed, 00:10:14.300 --> 00:10:17.933 as it is today, not only by the United States Public Health Service, 00:10:17.933 --> 00:10:22.633 but also by the American Dental Association, the American Public Health Association, 00:10:22.633 --> 00:10:27.333 and other national health organizations. 00:10:27.333 --> 00:10:31.466 After the town council acted, well, everybody sort of waited. 00:10:31.466 --> 00:10:36.999 Went about their business as usual, but the day the equipment was installed at the waterworks, 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:41.866 now that was the day. 00:10:41.866 --> 00:10:43.699 Some wanted to see the feeder. 00:10:43.700 --> 00:10:50.366 Some wanted to see what the fluoride looked like, how it was weighed and put into the water. 00:10:50.366 --> 00:10:58.366 And the feeder pump that was designed to add just one part of fluoride to each million parts of water. 00:10:58.366 --> 00:11:05.766 It was a big day for Doc Jenkins and all those who had fought to put over the idea. 00:11:05.766 --> 00:11:10.399 Some wanted to see the fluoride in the water. 00:11:10.400 --> 00:11:17.533 But, of course, they couldn't see it, or smell it, and they couldn't taste it. 00:11:17.533 --> 00:11:22.599 They couldn't see or taste the fluoride then, any more than the youngsters can see or taste it 00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:33.166 back here in the schoolhouse today, where they've been drinking this fluoridated water for seven years. 00:11:33.166 --> 00:11:37.599 But as a matter of fact, you can see the fluoride now, where Doc sees it, 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:40.133 in the dental records of the town. 00:11:40.133 --> 00:11:46.699 For the records show that already, two out of every three cavities have been prevented in the teeth 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:50.033 of the little people of Hillendale. 00:11:50.033 --> 00:11:54.266 [Music] 00:11:54.266 --> 00:12:02.099 And you can see it in the smiles of these children and all the children that come after them. 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:08.033 The happy, shining smiles of their own healthy teeth. 00:12:08.033 --> 00:12:13.266 [Music] 00:12:13.266 --> 00:12:20.199 [The End] 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:34.966 [This film was made with the cooperation of the people of Newark, Delaware]