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.
References
- ^Burt BAInfluences for change in the dental health status of populations: an historical perspective.J Public Health Dent.(1978 Fall)
- ^Nutriton classics. Public Health Reports, Volume 56, 1941, pages 761-792. Domestic water and dental caries. II. A study of 2,832 white children, aged 12-14 years, of 8 suburban Chicago communities, including Lactobacillus acidophilus studies of 1,761 children. By H. Trendley Dean, Philip Jay, Francis A. Arnold, Jr., and Elias Elvove.Nutr Rev.(1976 Apr)
- ^Dean HTEndemic fluorosis and its relation to dental caries. 1938.Public Health Rep.(2006)
- ^DEAN HTFluorine and dental caries; epidemiological aspects.J Dent Res.(1947 Aug)
- ^Iheozor-Ejiofor Z, Worthington HV, Walsh T, O'Malley L, Clarkson JE, Macey R, Alam R, Tugwell P, Welch V, Glenny AMWater fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries.Cochrane Database Syst Rev.(2015-Jun-18)