Fluoride & Fluoridation

Overview

Community water fluoridation is the process through which the fluoride content in water is adjusted to a level that is optimal for preventing tooth decay. First introduced in the 1950’s, it has been hailed as one of ten great public health achievements of the 20th century.¹

Drinking optimally fluoridated water is unquestionably one of the safest and most beneficial, cost-effective public health measures for preventing, controlling, and in some cases reversing, tooth decay. Unfortunately, many citizens believe their public water contains optimal levels of fluoride when, in fact, it does not.

Efforts to introduce fluoridation are frequently undermined by limited funds for infrastructure, perceived controversy, voter apathy, confusing ballot language, and an abundance of misinformation that has flourished on the Internet. As a result, optimally fluoridated water is not available to over one-quarter of those served by public water systems.²

• Optimal fluoridation—The ADA believes that public water supplies containing less than the optimal level of fluoride recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services should be adjusted to an optimum level.
• Infrastructure support—The ADA urges the Congress to make capacity-building funds readily available to help communities establish, upgrade, and maintain an effective public water fluoridation infrastructure.
• Additional research—The ADA welcomes calls for additional controlled studies on the safety, health benefits, and cost-effectiveness of community water fluoridation.

Footnotes

1. CDC. Ten Great Public Health Achievements—United States, 1900-1999, MMWR 1999, 48(12);241-243.
2. National Oral Health Surveillance System. Water fluoridation statistics, 2008. Available at www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/statistics/2008stats.htm, accessed February 8, 2011. 

Letters and Testimony

• June 30, 2011—Letter commenting on two Fluoride Dose Response and Relative Source Contribution documents prepared by the EPA.
• February 14, 2011—Comments on the the CDC’s recommendation to set the level for optimally fluoridated water at 0.7 parts per million. (PDF)
• January 10, 2011—Press release on the ADA’s evidence-based clinical recommendations on the intake of fluoride from reconstituted infant formula and the prescription of dietary fluoride supplements for caries prevention. 
• January 7, 2011—Press release on the CDC’s recommendation to set the level for optimally fluoridated water at 0.7 parts per million.

ADA Resources

• ADA Positions, Policies & Statements
• Fluoridation Facts 
• Fluoride & Fluoridation 

Additional Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

Contact Us

For additional information, please contact:

• Robert J. Burns, Federal Affairs
• Jennifer Fisher, Congressional Affairs
• Paul O'Connor, State Government Affairs

Federal Affairs
1111 14th Street NW, Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
202.898.2400
Fax: 202.898.2437
E-mail: govtpol@ada.org

State Government Affairs
ADA Chicago Headquarters
211 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312.440.2525
Fax: 312.440.3539
E-mail: govtpol@ada.org