Community water fluoridation is the
practice of adding a small amount of
fluoride to the water supply. It has been
heralded as 1 of the top 10 public health
achievements of the 20th century by the
CDC.34 Community water fluoridation is
a safe, efficient, and cost-effective way
to prevent tooth decay and has been
shown to reduce tooth decay by 29%.35
It prevents tooth decay through the
provision of low levels of fluoride exposure
to the teeth over time and
provides both topical and systemic
exposure. It is estimated that every
dollar invested in water fluoridation
saves $38 in dental treatment costs
(http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/benefits/).
Currently, although more than
210 million Americans live in communities
with optimally fluoridated water,
there are more than 70 million others
with public water systems who do not
have access to fluoridated water.33 The
fluoridation status of a community
water supply can be determined by
contacting the local water department
or accessing the Web site My Water’s
Fluoride (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MWF/
Index.asp).