LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland is the latest city in Polk County to discuss whether to continue adding fluoride to its drinking water.

City commissioners plan to listen to both sides of the debate during an upcoming public hearing. Initially scheduled for Monday, a public hearing on fluoridation does not appear on the commission’s agenda for that morning.

While the use of fluoride is up for debate in Lakeland, Dr. Aaron Scheps says he sees every day why the long-held practice should continue.

“Boots on the ground, day in and day out, in a practice, I see kids coming through this door with tons of cavities despite having some fluoride in the water,” he said. “And that might be their only source of fluoride. It’s their only fighting chance of having these cavities not get so bad.”

For the last eight years, Scheps’ office, Dentistry for Children, has served one of the city’s most underserved communities. He says without fluoride being readily available, the children he treats will be worse off.

“Guarantee if we take fluoride out of the water, kids are going to get more cavities, they’re going to miss more school, and it’s just going to make this underserved area in more need,” Scheps said.

At Agnini Family Dental, Dr. Andrew Agnini agrees that fluoridated water is proven to effectively prevent tooth decay. However, the Lakeland native believes the dental community should be more open to hearing other viewpoints.

“If you look at some of the well-founded studies that are for fluoride, it does list some of those negatives, so you have to always look at any community: does one outweigh the other?” he said. “So, I think that’s where the dental industry falls — the benefits far outweigh the potential negatives, and the argument about cognitive abilities and cognitive health, I think that does have a standing that needs to be looked at.”

A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that high fluoride exposure can negatively impact children’s developing brains and IQs. However, Scheps says there are just as many studies supporting the mineral as there are against it.

“And the studies that we do have that show that fluoride is helpful tend to be of a higher level of evidence. A little bit more credible,” he said.

Which he hopes city leaders will consider before making a final decision.

Lakeland is one of the five cities in Polk County that still adds fluoride to its drinking water, along with Bartow, Auburndale, Haines City and Lake Alfred.