Resource Library
Frequently Asked Questions
Water Fluoridation
Back to Fact Sheets and FAQs
March 2002
Q. Is community water
fluoridation safe?
A. Yes. Extensive research conducted over the past 50 years has
demonstrated that fluoridation of public water supplies is a safe and
effective way to reduce the incidence of dental caries for all community
residents. A comprehensive review of the benefits and potential
risks of fluoridation confirmed its safety and value.
Q. How much does it cost to
fluoridate the water?
A. The per person cost of fluoridation varies by the size of the community
population. The average cost of providing fluoridated water to communities
with more that 20,000 residents is about 50 cents per year. For
communities of 10,000-20,000 residents, the cost is about $1, and for
those living in communities of less than 5,000, the cost is about $3 per
year.
Q. Is community water
fluoridation a cost-effective method for disease prevention?
A. Yes. In 1999, an estimated $56 billion was spent on dental services,
representing about 5.6 percent of all expenditures for personal health
care in the United States. The national average cost to restore one cavity
with dental amalgam is approximately $65--the approximate cost of
providing fluoridation to an individual for a lifetime.
Q. Is tooth decay still
a serious problem?
A. Yes. Over 84 percent of U.S. children, 96 percent of U.S. adults, and
99.5 percent of Americans 65 years of age and older have experienced tooth
decay.
Q. Has the incidence of
dental caries decreased since water fluoridation began?
A. Yes. Independent studies initiated in 1945 and 1946 followed four
communities and assessed the value of water fluoridation. By 1960,
tooth decay rates in these communities declined, on average, 56 percent
more than in demographically similar communities whose water supplies were
not fluoridated. More recent studies show that water fluoridation will
reduce dental caries in permanent teeth by approximately 18 to 40 percent.
Although this reduction in decay is not as dramatic as it was in the 1950s
and 1960s, it is significant when compared to tooth decay in non-fluoridated communities.
|
