• Water fluoridation benefits both children and adults, providing benefits across the life span
  • Water fluoridation is effective above and beyond any other practice in which a person might engage to prevent dental caries.
  • Water fluoridation helps reduce oral health disparities.
  • Water Fluoridation is effective at the community level.
  • Water fluoridation is cost effective when compared with the cost of AVOIDABLE dental treatment.
  • Water fluoridation can enhance the effectiveness of other dental prevention practices such as the use of fissure sealants for children.
  • Water fluoridation can help migrate the effect of some risk factors, such as a high-sugar diet or consumption of sweetened beverages.
  • There are no known harmful effects from ingestion of water that has had fluoride added to it at or about 0.7-1.2 milligrams/liter.  No systematic reviews of literature have shown any negative health effects from ingestion of water fluoridated in or near this therapeutic range.
  • Dental fluorosis observed in both fluoridated (at or about 0.7-1.2 mg/L) and non-fluoridated areas is, for the most part, not a cosmetic concern.
  • Caries is a more important health problem than is dental fluorosis, but there always is a trade-off between the two conditions.
  • Fluorosis is a concern only for a small number of people and rarely in areas with adjusted fluoride levels.

Information from JADA 144(1)January 2013, pg 71.http://jada.ada.org

Pediatric Dental Center

Warren, MI

Dr. O’Riordan and Dr. Shah