Everyone gets all "woo woo" about high tech advanced biomedicine and how important it is that they've made some advancement that will cost 100 million dollars and help five people, but it's the programs like clean water and floridation and other unsexy cheap programs like that which make a real difference to the most people. You'd know what I mean if you've ever been to a country where they don't have floridation in the water supply, or a water supply at all. It's a little surprising for someone who grew up in a place where mostly everyone you meet on a day-to-day basis has OK teeth to encounter a situation where mostly everyone has bad teeth. That's when you start to appreciate fluoridation, even though when they make you do it at the dentist it tastes terrible and makes me gag!
ADA and CDC Celebrate 60th Anniversary of Community Water Fluoridation
CHICAGO, January 21, 2005—Community water fluoridation, cited as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), celebrates its 60th birthday this year.
"Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure for preventing tooth decay and improving oral health over a lifetime," stated William R. Maas, D.D.S., M.P.H., Director, CDC Division of Oral Health.
"Community water fluoridation is the most economical preventive method we have in dentistry," said Richard Haught, D.D.S., ADA president, "We need to put special emphasis on providing fluoridation to those who aren’t able to enjoy its benefits now."
Grand Rapids, Michigan, first community to fluoridate water On January 25, 1945, Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first community to adjust the fluoride content in the public water system to the level effective for prevention of tooth decay. Since that time, some 170 million Americans now have access to community water fluoridation.
"Because it reaches all people in a community regardless of education or income level, it is a powerful strategy in our efforts to eliminate differences in oral health among our citizens, explained Dr. Maas.
"There has been a significant and profound improvement in the oral health of the nation’s children living in fluoridated communities," said the ADA’s Dr. Haught. "I am convinced of the benefits of community water fluoridation. I have seen the oral health differences before and after it was instituted in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma."
The American Dental Association has long endorsed community water fluoridation as safe, effective and necessary in preventing tooth decay. This support has been the Association's position since policy was first adopted in 1950. The ADA, along with state and local dental societies, continues to work with federal, state, and local agencies to increase the number of communities benefiting from optimally fluoridated water.
Key Facts About Community Water Fluoridation
Water fluoridation is the addition of fluoride to adjust the natural concentration of a community’s water supply to the level recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service for optimal dental health—0.7 to 1.2 parts per million (equivalent to about 1 inch in 16 miles or 1 cent in $10,000).
Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay or cavities, is an infectious multifactorial disease in which acid from bacteria dissolve the enamel of a tooth. This often results in pain and loss of tooth structure. Fluoride works by facilitating remineralization of the tooth’s enamel, keeping the tooth strong by preventing the loss of minerals from the enamel as well as by enhancing the re-uptake of minerals into the tooth.
Fluoridation of the public water supply was first instituted on January 25, 1945, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Studies in eight communities (four implemented fluoridation and four did not) comparing rates of tooth decay documented persuasive evidence of its effectiveness in decreasing tooth decay in children. As a result, other U.S. cities rapidly adopted this preventive intervention.
A recent review by the U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services strongly recommended community water fluoridation . For the many studies reviewed, there was a median 29% reduction of decay among children and adolescents.
Community water fluoridation benefits everyone, especially those without access to regular dental care. It is the most efficient way to prevent one of the most common childhood diseases – tooth decay (5 times as common as asthma and 7 times as common as hay fever in 5-to-17-year-olds). Without fluoridation, there would be many more than the estimated 51 million school hours lost per year in this country because of dental-related illness.
Currently, 67% of Americans on public water systems receive optimally fluoridated water.
Fluoridation is cost effective. For most U.S. communities, every dollar spent on community water fluoridation results in a savings of $38 in costs to repair (fill) a decayed tooth.
ADA and CDC Celebrate 60th Anniversary of Community Water Fluoridation
CHICAGO, January 21, 2005—Community water fluoridation, cited as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), celebrates its 60th birthday this year.
"Fluoridation is the single most effective public health measure for preventing tooth decay and improving oral health over a lifetime," stated William R. Maas, D.D.S., M.P.H., Director, CDC Division of Oral Health.
"Community water fluoridation is the most economical preventive method we have in dentistry," said Richard Haught, D.D.S., ADA president, "We need to put special emphasis on providing fluoridation to those who aren’t able to enjoy its benefits now."
Grand Rapids, Michigan, first community to fluoridate water On January 25, 1945, Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first community to adjust the fluoride content in the public water system to the level effective for prevention of tooth decay. Since that time, some 170 million Americans now have access to community water fluoridation.
"Because it reaches all people in a community regardless of education or income level, it is a powerful strategy in our efforts to eliminate differences in oral health among our citizens, explained Dr. Maas.
"There has been a significant and profound improvement in the oral health of the nation’s children living in fluoridated communities," said the ADA’s Dr. Haught. "I am convinced of the benefits of community water fluoridation. I have seen the oral health differences before and after it was instituted in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma."
The American Dental Association has long endorsed community water fluoridation as safe, effective and necessary in preventing tooth decay. This support has been the Association's position since policy was first adopted in 1950. The ADA, along with state and local dental societies, continues to work with federal, state, and local agencies to increase the number of communities benefiting from optimally fluoridated water.
Key Facts About Community Water Fluoridation
Water fluoridation is the addition of fluoride to adjust the natural concentration of a community’s water supply to the level recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service for optimal dental health—0.7 to 1.2 parts per million (equivalent to about 1 inch in 16 miles or 1 cent in $10,000).
Dental caries, commonly known as tooth decay or cavities, is an infectious multifactorial disease in which acid from bacteria dissolve the enamel of a tooth. This often results in pain and loss of tooth structure. Fluoride works by facilitating remineralization of the tooth’s enamel, keeping the tooth strong by preventing the loss of minerals from the enamel as well as by enhancing the re-uptake of minerals into the tooth.
Fluoridation of the public water supply was first instituted on January 25, 1945, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Studies in eight communities (four implemented fluoridation and four did not) comparing rates of tooth decay documented persuasive evidence of its effectiveness in decreasing tooth decay in children. As a result, other U.S. cities rapidly adopted this preventive intervention.
A recent review by the U.S. Task Force on Community Preventive Services strongly recommended community water fluoridation . For the many studies reviewed, there was a median 29% reduction of decay among children and adolescents.
Community water fluoridation benefits everyone, especially those without access to regular dental care. It is the most efficient way to prevent one of the most common childhood diseases – tooth decay (5 times as common as asthma and 7 times as common as hay fever in 5-to-17-year-olds). Without fluoridation, there would be many more than the estimated 51 million school hours lost per year in this country because of dental-related illness.
Currently, 67% of Americans on public water systems receive optimally fluoridated water.
Fluoridation is cost effective. For most U.S. communities, every dollar spent on community water fluoridation results in a savings of $38 in costs to repair (fill) a decayed tooth.
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