A Half‐century of Community Water Fluoridation in the United States: Review and Commentary

Abstract

The nearly 50-year history of community water fluoridation is reviewed with the major emphasis on the benefits and safety of fluoridation. other aspects of water fluoridation also described include the apparent reduction in measurable fluoridation benefits because of the abundance of other fluoride sources, the diffusion of fluoridation effects into fluoride-deficient communities, preemptive and postemptive effects, technical and cost aspects, sociopolitical and legal issues that affect the successful fluoridation of communities, and alternatives to community water fluoridation. The majority of studies have evaluated the effectiveness of water fluoridation on the permanent teeth of children, while there are fewer studies on deciduous teeth and in adults; the relationship between fluoride ingestion and bone health needs further clarification; the sociopolitical issues of fluoridation need to be better understood.Principal Secondary Sources Used in the Preparation of this Review BOOKSMcClure FJ.

Heterocontrole da fluoretação das águas em três cidades no Piauí, Brasil

“…A fluoretação da água de consumo público tem sido considerada a medida de saúde pública mais próxima do ideal no controle da cárie dentária porque os benefícios podem transcender todas as raças, etnias e diferenças sócio-econô-micas e religiosas 3 . Por esse motivo, a fluoretação de águas é considerada um dos mais importantes fatores responsáveis pelo declínio da cárie dentária durante a segunda metade do século XX 4 , inclusive apresentando a melhor relação custobenefício de todos os métodos preventivos 5,6 .…”

“…Informativo 2004; fev/mar), aspecto que concorre para que os custos com serviços dentários sejam consideravelmente reduzidos após a implantação desta medida 7 . Todavia, para que haja uma redução da cárie dentária é necessário que a fluoretação seja contínua e sem interrupções 3 . A permanência dos níveis de flúor é necessária devido à ação deste íon nos processos de desmineralização e remineralização que ocorrem constantemente na cavidade bucal, já que o efeito da atividade anticariogênica da água fluoretada resulta principalmente da ação tópica do flúor 8,9 .…”

Prevention of Dental Caries Through the Effective Use of Fluoride – The Public Health Approach

“…21 The first period from 1901 to 1933 focused on investigating causes of mottled enamel (Colorado brown stain, first reported by Frederick McKay). The second period between 1933 and 1945 attempted to study the relationship that might exist between fluoride concentrations, fluorosis and dental caries, and established that moderate levels of fluoride prevent dental caries.…”

Patterns and Distribution of Dental Caries and Dental Fluorosis in Areas with Varying Degrees of Fluoride Ion Concentration in Drinking Water

“…Of particular interest was the further observation that at this fluoride concentration, virtually no clinically noticeable enamel fluorosis was observed [2]. It was these observations that led to the concept of an "optimal" drinking water fluoride concentration, which has served as the basis for artificial water fluoridation [3,4]. The observation that the fluoride ion was associated with a decreased prevalence of dental caries led to the development of numerous other products containing fluoride which were intended to be ingested, applied topically to the teeth, or both.…”