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Oral Health Services

Fluoride Facts

Is fluoride naturally occurring in the earth’s water?

YES.
Fluoride is naturally occurring and present in all bodies of water (rivers, lakes, springs and wells) to some degree. Water fluoridation is the adjustment of the natural level of fluoride to a level that is optimal for oral health.

Tennessee’s water sources:

  • Contain between 0.1 - 0.2 ppm (mg/L) fluoride whereas groundwater usually contains below 0.1 ppm fluoride. 
  • May vary between 0.01 ppm and 0.7 ppm fluoride

Sea water typically has a naturally occurring fluoride content of 0.8 - 1.4 mg/L (ppm).

Is the practice of adjusting fluoride levels in community drinking water widely recognized as a safe and effective public health benefit?

YES.
More than 60 years of research supports the fact that community water fluoridation is both safe and effective.

Agencies that recognize the safety and effectiveness of community water fluoridation are: Image courtesy of the Massachusetts Coalition for Oral Health

  • Academy of General Dentistry
  • American Academy of Family Physicians
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American Dental Association
  • American Dental Hygienists’ Association
  • American Dietetic Association
  • American Medical Association
  • American Osteopathic Association
  • American Public Health Association
  • American Nurses Association
  • British Fluoridation Society
  • Canadian Dental Association
  • National Association of County and City Health Officials
  • National Health Law Program
  • World Health Organizations

Community Water Fluoridation is Effective in Reducing Tooth Decay - The Community Guide

Has community water fluoridation been documented as a scientifically proven method in the reduction of dental caries?

YES.
Many reviews have been conducted by academic and health organizations. All have concluded that community water fluoridation is a safe and effective method for reducing tooth decay across all ages.

Systematic Reviews: Assessing the Weight of the Evidence: Community Water Fluoridation (CDC)

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An important resource used to assess the safety of a health care strategy such as water fluoridation are systematic reviews of scientific literature. Systematic reviews are helpful because they:

  • Seek to collect evidence from all published studies on a subject.
  • Use carefully-designed methods to critically examine scientific evidence.
  • Use national and international panels of experts in various health and scientific disciplines, including many experts outside of oral health, including medicine, biophysics, chemistry, toxicological pathology, and epidemiology
  • Assess the quality of individual studies and summarize the strength of the entire body of evidence.
  • Summarize information regarding other evidence.
  • Identify and summarize research gaps and make recommendations for further research.

What is fluoride?

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral that can help prevent dental decay.

Does water fluoridation help prevent tooth decay?

YES.
Water fluoridation continues to be a very effective method for preventing tooth decay in children, adolescents, and adults.

Fluoride at optimal concentrations for oral health is safe and effective in reducing tooth decay by 20 to 40 percent.1

For additional information on this topic: Fluoridation Facts


(1) ADA Fluoride Facts Book, 2005; Question 2, page 10.


What is the optimal level for Tennessee’s drinking water?

0.7 part per million (ppm).

Who regulates the additives used in water treatment?

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). All additives used in water treatment are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In 1974, Congress passed the original Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) which protects the public’s health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. The SDWA, as amended in 1986 and 1996, requires the EPA ensure the public is provided with safe drinking water.

Does Community Water Fluoridation benefit both children and adults?

YES.
Both children and adults benefit from water fluoridation. Studies have demonstrated that people in communities with fluoridated water have 20 to 40% less tooth decay than those in communities without fluoridated water.

Both children and adults benefit from water fluoridation. Studies have demonstrated that people in communities with fluoridated water have 20 to 40 percent less tooth decay than those in communities without fluoridated water.

Oral health is important to general health.
(Footnote: US Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: US Dept of HHS, NIDCR, 2000.) 

  • Although preventable, tooth decay is a chronic disease affecting all age groups. 
    In fact, it is the most common chronic disease of childhood.
    (Footnote: Ibid)
  • The burden of disease is far worse for those who have limited access to prevention and treatment services.
  • Tooth decay, left untreated, can cause pain and tooth loss.
  • Among children, untreated decay has been associated with difficulty in eating, sleeping,
    learning, and proper nutrition.
      (Footnote: Truman BI, Gooch BF, Sulemana I, et al., and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Reviews of evidence on interventions to reduce dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injury. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 23 (2002, 1S): 1-84.)
  • As for adults, untreated decay and tooth loss can also have negative effects on an individual’s
    self-esteem and their ability to become employed.
  • Infant Formula
    For Additional Information on this topic: