"PORTLAND, Ore. -- Who bears responsibility for an impoverished child with a mouth full of rotting teeth? Parents? Soda companies? The ingrained inequities of capitalism? Pick your villain, or champion. They are all on display here as the largest city in the nation with no commitment to fluoridating its water supply -- and one of the most politically liberal cultures anywhere -- has waded into a new debate about whether to change its ways and its water."

"The debate flared on Thursday at a public hearing before the five-member City Council, whose vote on the issue is scheduled for this week. Some of the arguments have focused on health concerns, with opponents raising questions and citing studies about fluoride's effects on brain development and I.Q."

Kirk Johnson reports for the New York Times September 8, 2012. [2]