Fluoride and Fluoridation
Community water fluoridation has been cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the top ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th Century.
Through the efforts of multiple stakeholders, CDA leadership, legislative advocacy, and funding from the California Endowment, nearly 23 million California residents (59.3% of the population) receive fluoridated water, a significant increase from 17% in the 1990s.
Even with our great progress, California ranks 37th among states in the percentage of the population receiving fluoridated water, and California’s children have some of the highest rates of decay in the nation. CDA remains committed to helping California residents have stronger, healthier teeth.
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The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention provides extensive information about the science, practice, and benefits of community water fluoridation.
In 2014, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published Fluoride and Dental Caries Prevention in Children, an easy to understand, comprehensive resource on the benefits and proper use of fluoride for caries prevention in children.
The Campaign for Dental Health provides extensive and excellent educational resources on community water fluoridation.
A study, published June 2018 in the Journal of Dental Research, reaffirms the benefit of community water fluoridation (CWF). The study found that where 75% or more of the population in a community has access to CWF, there was “a substantial caries-preventive benefit . . . for U.S. children and that the benefit is most pronounced in primary teeth.”
The CDC has developed downloadable materials to help educate audiences on the value of community water fluoridation.