HAMPTON -- The city's four dentists want council members to resume filtering and adding fluoride to the public's water supply.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Dr. Eric Wagner, added a third request: better communication.

The dentists would like all water filtered through the city's $2.2 million plant and fluoride content adjusted to the therapeutic level of 1 to 1.2 parts per million.

Council members accepted the suggestions in front of more than 70 people who attended the regular meeting. The council did not, however, act on the proposals.

The fluoride question surfaced earlier this year. The water plant was constructed in 1993. Until 1999, fluoride, a chemical often associated with prevention of tooth decay, was put to the water.

"Earlier this year, we discovered by accident that the fluoride was no longer being added," said Dr. Paul Sensor, another dentist in Hampton. "We talked to different city officials and no one seemed to care."

Some of the equipment used to add fluoride was removed, Sensor said, and the city started using water from a well that does not go through filters.

Wagner, who practiced in Hampton 18 years, said he was speaking as an advocate for patients. He added his own frustrations.

"It might not be a cover-up, but there is a lack of communication," he said.

The Hampton dentists asked Dr. Steven Wiebe from the University of Iowa School of Dentistry to support their position.

Wiebe said toothpaste and tap water are two recognized ways of providing fluoride protection.

"It is the most beneficial to the most people at the lowest cost," he said.

Not everyone at Tuesday's meeting supported fluoridation, though.

Jerre Grefe, a resident and a registered nurse, wants to maintain the existing system.

"Fluoride in combination with other chemicals can cause cancer," Grefe said.

She added her belief that the many chemicals in people's lives play a major role in the spread of that and other diseases. Grefe also questioned why the city would want to make a "chemical cocktail" out of the city water.

"Fluoride is a poison," she said.

Several residents questioned why black ring appears in toilet bowls and appliances using city water.

Cecilia Naughton, an environmental specialist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, explained that situation shows the presence of manganese, the result of chemicals used in the city's water system.

The city recently received a report from the DNR stating no problems exist in the city's handling of water.

"Hampton's water is not a health risk," Naughton said after reviewing the results. "It is just not pretty."

In the report, Naughton said Hampton does "nothing significantly different from other Iowa water supplies."

Council members made no indication whether they will consider the dentists' requests.

Contact Bob Link at (641) 421-0538 or bob.link@globegazette.com.