"This is one of the dirty little secrets -- that the whole nation has not yet embraced fluoridation of water, which has enormous public health benefits," Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said in a telephone interview.
Fluoridation of public water supplies was introduced in 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
"It's still an under-utilized, very effective public health measure," Dr. William Bailey of the CDC's Division of Oral Health, who led the report, said in a telephone interview.
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Fluoridated water now reaches nearly 70% of U.S. population
"Community water fluoridation is an equitable, cost-effective, and cost-saving method of delivering fluoride to most people," said William Maas, director of CDC's Division of Oral Health. "We've seen some marked improvements; however, there are still too many states that have not met the national goal. The national goal is that 75 percent of U.S. residents who are on community water systems be receiving fluoridated water by 2010."
Fluoride, a naturally occurring compound in the environment, can reduce or prevent tooth decay. Adding or maintaining tiny levels of fluoride in drinking water is a safe and effective public health measure to prevent and control tooth decay (dental caries). The second half of the 20th century saw a major decline in the prevalence and severity of dental caries, attributed in part to the increasing use of fluoride.
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