Adding fluoride to drinking water is like the addition of vitamin D to milk, iodine to table salt, and folic acid to bread and cereals.

More than six decades of research, thousands of studies and the experience of more than 170 million Americans tell us that fluoridation is safe. In fact, in Pennsylvania, about 5 million people have access to fluoridated water.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has proclaimed community water fluoridation one of ten great public health achievements of the 20th century.

Objective 21-9 of the national health objectives included in Healthy People 2010 has established the goal of 75% of the population served by public water systems in the U.S. to be receiving optimally fluoridated water by 2010.  Currently, Pennsylvania is at 54%.

Cost Effective
On an individual basis, the lifetime cost of fluoridation is less than the cost of one dental filling.

The average cost for a community to fluoridate its water is estimated to range from approximately $0.50 a year per person in large communities to approximately $3.00 a year per person in small communities.

For communities, every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs. 

Fluoridation improves the quality of life by preventing tooth decay which can lead to needless infection, pain, suffering and loss of teeth and saves vast sums of money in dental treatment costs – particularly in cases where dental care is received through hospital emergency services or through surgical intervention in a hospital.

Cutting dental care cost by decreasing dental decay is something a community can do to improve oral health and save money for everyone.

Fluoridation Works
The maximum reduction in tooth decay is achieved when fluoride is available during all stages of tooth development and at the tooth surface.  Water fluoridation provides both types of exposure.

STUDIES HAVE REPEATEDLY CONFIRMED THE SAFETY OF WATER FLUORIDATION

1. Optimal levels of fluoride to prevent decay are 0.7-1.2 parts per million.
2. Community water fluoridation is supported by nearly every American organization in the fields of health, science, and public affairs.
3. In Pennsylvania, about 5 million people have access to fluoridated water.
4. Fluoride is naturally found in soil, water plants and some foods. It is the 13th most abundant element in the earths crust.

WATER FLUORIDATION IS COST EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING DENTAL DECAY IN POPULATIONS

1. Fluoridating a community’s water supply can cost as little as 20-51 cents per person per year.
2. For every $1 spent on fluoridation, it prevents $80 in treatment costs.
3. Drinking fluoridated water from birth reduce tooth decay by 40-60 percent over a lifetime
4. The day-to-day assimilation of fluoride before teeth erupt builds strong teeth.

FLUORIDATION WORKS IN SEVERAL WAYS TO PREVENT TOOTH DECAY.

1. Fluoride united with tooth enamel to strengthen and make it more resistant to decay.
2. Fluoride can help to reverse the early signs of tooth decay through a process called remineralization.
3. Adding fluoride to water is comparable to adding Vitamin D to milk and Vitamin C to orange juice.