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CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Preventing Dental Caries: Community Water Fluoridation

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Community water fluoridation involves adding fluoride (which prevents tooth decay) to community water sources, then adjusting and monitoring the amount of fluoride to ensure that it stays at the desired level.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends community water fluoridation based on strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing tooth decay.

Impact

The Community Preventive Services Task Force has found that community water fluoridation is effective in decreasing dental caries across populations.

Results / Accomplishments

Results from the Systematic Reviews:
Twenty-eight studies qualified for review.

• Combined evidence showed a median decrease of 15.2 percentage points in caries after community water fluoridation began (12 studies).
• Included studies showed that community water fluoridation reduced the prevalence of dental caries across socioeconomic groups.
• Decay rates measured after water fluoridation only: The number of individuals free of dental caries increased by a median of 25.1 percentage points (1 study).

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/dental-...
Topics
Health / Oral Health
Source
Community Guide Branch Epidemiology and Analysis Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Location
USA
For more details
http://www.thecommunityguide.org/index.html
http://www.thecommunityguide.org/oral/fluoridation...
Target Audience
Children

Related Promising Practices

  1. Oral Health Equity Project
  2. The Crest Cavity-Free Zone Program
  3. Brevard County Volunteer Dental Clinic
  4. Dental Caries (Cavities): Community Water Fluoridation
  5. New Mexico School-Based Dental Sealant Program
  6. Saving Smiles

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.
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