scholarly journals Exploring the short-term impact of community water fluoridation cessation on children's dental caries: a natural experiment in Alberta, Canada

Public Health ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 146 ◽  
pp. 56-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. McLaren ◽  
S. Patterson ◽  
S. Thawer ◽  
P. Faris ◽  
D. McNeil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dental Caries ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Water Fluoridation ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Community Water Fluoridation

Water fluoridation: current challenges

2020 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2019-318545
Author(s):  
John Furness ◽  
Sam J Oddie ◽  
Simon Hearnshaw
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Dental Caries ◽  
Water Fluoridation ◽  
Public Health Measure ◽  
Important Public Health ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Health Measure ◽  
Community Water Fluoridation ◽  
And Child Health ◽  
Do So

Dental extraction for caries is the most common reason for children aged 6–10 years to be admitted to hospital. Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) is safe and effective at reducing dental caries. It is most effective where there is more deprivation. However, many deprived areas do not have CWF despite Public Health England recommending it. Those who lobby against fluoridation do so using emotionally charged language and misinformation. We discuss the benefits of fluoridation and the specious arguments used against this important public health measure. The National CWF Network is led by dentists and promotes CWF. COVID-19 has led to the suspension of routine dentistry, renewing the urgency of implementation of CWF. Professional bodies such as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are urged to give their support.

scholarly journals The Association between Community Water Fluoridation and Bone Diseases: A Natural Experiment in Cheongju, Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9170
Author(s):  
Naae Lee ◽  
Sungchan Kang ◽  
Woojoo Lee ◽  
Seung-sik Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Bone Cancer ◽  
Experiment Design ◽  
Bone Diseases ◽  
Water Fluoridation ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Community Water Fluoridation

The present study aimed to investigate the association between bone diseases and community water fluoridation (CWF). An ecological study with a natural experiment design was conducted in Cheongju, South Korea, from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2013. The community water fluoridation program was implemented in Cheongju and divided into CWF and non-CWF areas. To observe adverse health effects related to bone diseases, we conducted a spatio-temporal analysis of the prevalence of hip fracture, osteoporosis, and bone cancer in residents who have lived in CWF and non-CWF areas using National Health Insurance Service data. First, we used standardized incidence ratios to estimate the disease risk. Second, the hierarchical Bayesian Poisson spatio-temporal regression model was used to investigate the association between the selected bone diseases and CWF considering space and time interaction. The method for Bayesian estimation was based on the R-integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA). Comparing the CWF area with the non-CWF area, there was no clear evidence that exposure to CWF increased health risks at the town level in Cheongju since CWF was terminated after 2004. The posterior relative risks (RR) of hip fracture was 0.95 (95% confidence intervals 0.87, 1.05) and osteoporosis was 0.94 (0.87, 1.02). The RR in bone cancer was a little high because the sample size very small compared to the other bone diseases (RR = 1.20 (0.89, 1.61)). The relative risk of selected bone diseases (hip fractures, osteoporosis, and bone cancer) increased over time but did not increase in the CWF area compared to non-CWF areas. CWF has been used to reduce dental caries in all population groups and is known for its cost-effectiveness. These findings suggest that CWF is not associated with adverse health risks related to bone diseases. This study provides scientific evidence based on a natural experiment design. It is necessary to continue research on the well-designed epidemiological studies and develop public health prevention programs to help in make suitable polices.

scholarly journals Seeking community water fluoridation information on state health department websites

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251139
Author(s):  
Catherine Maybury ◽  
Matt Jacob ◽  
Jessica M. Flanders ◽  
Alice M. Horowitz
Keyword(s):  
Dental Caries ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
State Health ◽  
Plain Language ◽  
Water Fluoridation ◽  
Literacy Environment ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Community Water Fluoridation

Community water fluoridation (CWF) is the most effective and equitable approach to preventing dental caries (tooth decay). Yet millions of Americans, especially those at highest risk of caries, do not know what CWF is or its preventive benefits. State health departments are responsible for educating their respective populations. Thus, this study assessed health department websites (N = 50) to determine if CWF content existed, the ease of finding it, and if it was written in plain language and for a consumer audience. We used the web component of the HLE2: The Health Literacy Environment of Hospitals and Health Centers (HLE2) to assess how easy or difficult it was to the navigate a website and find information. Forty-one websites had CWF information; 37 states had content written for a consumer audience. HLE2 scores ranged from 0 to 54 points (60 possible). Only five states had websites with a HLE2 score of 50 or higher. SHDs with higher HLE2 scores were easy to navigate and their content was written for a consumer audience. Study findings suggest most SHDs should improve their website’s CWF content and its accessibility to better promote the role of fluoridated water in preventing dental caries.

scholarly journals Association Between Community Water Fluoridation and Severe Dental Caries Experience in 4-Year-Old New Zealand Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 174 (10) ◽  
pp. 969
Author(s):  
Philip J. Schluter ◽  
Matthew Hobbs ◽  
Helen Atkins ◽  
Barry Mattingley ◽  
Martin Lee
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dental Caries ◽  
Caries Experience ◽  
Water Fluoridation ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Community Water Fluoridation
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