School Nurses Voice Concern After County Ends Fluoridation

February 27th, 2024 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Communities Supporting Fluoride, What the Experts Say about Fluoride

When officials in Collier County, Florida, recently voted to end fluoridation, dental professionals and pediatricians weren’t the only people who were disheartened. School nurses were concerned too. School nurses see firsthand the negative impact that chronic disease, of which tooth decay is one, has on children’s ability to attend school and learn. After the county’s […]


Fluoride in the Emerald City – History of Fluoridation in Seattle, Washington

July 5th, 2023 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Communities Supporting Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health

In the early 1950s, health officials in cities across the United States, including those in Seattle, Washington, were eager to replicate the massive success of the first longitudinal fluoridation study in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Seattle-King County Department of Public Health first proposed fluoridating Seattle’s water in 1951. The city council put the proposal to […]


A Call to Expand Fluoridation in Britain

April 6th, 2023 Communities Supporting Fluoride, Health Equity, Sustain or Initiate Fluoridation in your Community

In the United Kingdom, the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) is urging the government to pursue six strategies to reduce disparities in children’s oral health. One of the six strategies advanced by ADPH is to increase the number of community water fluoridation programs. ADPH describes fluoridation as “the single most effective public health […]


Fluoridation to Expand in New Zealand

August 22nd, 2022 Communities Supporting Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride in the News

Community water fluoridation is being expanded in phases to new communities in New Zealand, and the initial phase includes 14 local water systems. This announcement follows last year’s decision by the nation’s parliament to give the Director-General of Health new authority to make fluoridated water available in more communities. Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, the Director-General of […]


When Good News Is Really Bad News for Children’s Teeth

May 12th, 2022 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Communities Supporting Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health

Royal College of Surgeons of England Logo

Normally, a 58% decrease in the number of children’s teeth being extracted in a country would be a statistic to celebrate. However, dental health leaders in England recognize that the significant drop in extractions in back-to-back years is largely due to to delayed dental treatment during the pandemic. Dental leaders are urging a greater need for […]


US Public Health Service Dental Officers Affirm Fluoridation on 75th Anniversary

July 14th, 2020 Communities Supporting Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, What the Experts Say about Fluoride

75th Anniversary Logo

    To commemorate the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation (CWF), eight former United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Dental Officers have issued a statement affirming this public health practice. “Community water fluoridation is the great equalizer in prevention of dental caries because all individuals regardless of income or education are able to access […]


Attempts to Discontinue Fluoridation in U.S. Communities Fail 4 out of 5 Times

June 5th, 2018 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Communities Supporting Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Partners in Fluoride

  The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) recently posted the findings of its ongoing surveillance of attempts by opponents of water fluoridation to end the practice in targeted communities. In 2017, although existing fluoridation policy was challenged in 48 communities, it was maintained in 39 (81%). This continues a trend that has […]