Partner Resource Highlight: ASTDD’s Natural Fluoride in Drinking Water
The Campaign for Dental Health partners with many organizations that are committed to advancing oral health. One of those partners is the Association for State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD).
ASTDD provides a wealth of information to support the programmatic goals of agencies working to improve the oral health of state residents. Much of this information is equally helpful to parents, the public, health professionals, and organizations. This is especially true of their resources on fluoride.
An example we are highlighting here is ASTDD’s Natural Fluoride in Drinking Water fact sheet. Compiled by the ASTDD Fluorides Committee, this fact sheet is a well-referenced and thorough 2-pager about a relatively uncommon but important situation: when the natural fluoride content of drinking water exceeds recommended levels for drinking water.
Fluoride is a mineral that occurs in all natural bodies of water around the world. Like iron and calcium, it dissolves into the groundwater that we draw on for our drinking water.
The fact sheet, along with a PowerPoint presentation by Howard Pollick, BDS, MPH, explains that water from private wells does not fall under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as water from public systems does. It is the responsibility of landowners to assess the content and quality of well water and to consider a different source for drinking water if fluoride levels are higher than recommended.
ASTDD explains the role of geology as a source of natural fluoride levels and answers many questions about how common or uncommon high fluoride water is in different regions of the world.
For more information on natural fluoride in drinking water, see ASTDD’s two-page fact sheet and slides from Dr. Pollick’s presentation.
