What are the benefits of community water fluoridation?
Fluoride added to community drinking water to reach a concentration of 0.7 to 1.2 parts per million (0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter of water) has repeatedly been shown to be an effective method of preventing tooth decay.3 Because community water fluoridation benefits everyone in the community, regardless of age and socioeconomic status, fluoridation provides protection against tooth decay in populations with limited access to prevention and treatment services. The Task Force on Community Preventive Services, a national independent, nonfederal, multidisciplinary task force appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), conducted a systematic review of studies of community water fluoridation. They found that, in communities that initiated fluoridation, the decrease in childhood tooth decay was almost 30% over 3–12 years of follow-up.3 Stopping fluoridation was associated with an increase in tooth decay.
