According to a June study published in the Journal of Dental Research, U.S. children and adolescents with greater access to fluoridation were less likely to experience dental caries. To conduct the study, researchers utilized estimates of the percentage of the population with fluoridation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Fluoridation Reporting System. That information was then merged with dental examination data from 10 years of National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

The analysis revealed a 30 percent reduction in dental caries experience in the primary dentition in counties where over 75 percent of the population had access to community water fluoridation and a 12 percent reduction in dental caries experience in the permanent dentition, compared to counties in which less than 75 percent had access to community water fluoridation.

“This study confirms previously reported findings and provides additional evidence in support of water fluoridation as a core public health intervention promoting oral health,” said Maria Ryan, President of the American Association for Dental Research in a press release.

Authors of the study “Water fluoridation and dental caries in U.S. children and adolescents” are Gary Slade and Anne Sanders from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C., USA, William Grider, U.S. Census Bureau, Suitland, Md., USA and William Maas, Dental Public Health Consultant, North Bethesda, Md., USA.

Impact on General Dentistry: The AGD fully supports community water fluoridation programs and will continue to advocate for the expansion of fluoridation in communities across America.