Why did governments decide to fluoridate water?

In the mid-20th century, governments introduced community water fluoridation as a strategy to address the widespread issue of dental decay, which posed a major public health challenge.^[1] Observational research at the time showed that communities with naturally high fluoride levels in their water had significantly lower rates of tooth decay (dental cavities) than communities with lower levels,^[2][3][4] and subsequent experimental research confirmed the beneficial effects of water fluoridation for reducing cavities and improving dental health.^[5] This evidence supported community water fluoridation as a cost-effective measure for improving dental health across entire populations in both adults and children, offering widespread benefits regardless of an individual's income level or access to dental care.