Director's Blog
Health Marketing Musings
from Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH
The CDC has recognized the fluoridation of drinking water as one of ten great public health achievements of the twentieth century. Since its introduction into water supplies following WWII, water fluoridation has helped improve the quality of life in the United States by reducing pain and suffering related to tooth decay, time lost from school and work, and money spent to restore, remove, or replace decayed teeth. Nearly 70 percent of U.S. residents, or about 184 million people, who get water from public water systems have fluoridated water.
But there are many communities that still don't have fluoridated water, despite its documented success over the last 60 years. Often these communities are more rural and economically disadvantaged, and because there may be inadequate access to professional dental care—or lack of funds to pay for it—a disproportionate number of poor people, especially children, suffer needlessly.
To help raise public awareness of the advantages of water fluoridation for all Americans, NCHM collaborated with the Arkansas Department of Public Health in producing a video showing the advantages of water fluoridation
The video featured Arkansas leaders such as the Surgeon General of the State, the CEO of a major Children's Hospital in Little Rock, and a high-ranking State official of a major dental insurance company. But even more emotionally compelling were the interviews with everyday people – children who describe increased visits to the dentist; a mother who recently moved to a community without fluoridation and now sees her younger daughter having more cavities. Particularly revealing was the interview with a longtime dentist, who remembered when fluoridation first occurred in his community and seeing the dramatic reduction in cavities over time with fluoride in the water.
You can see the CDC.gov feature and video at Go With The Flow.
There are reasons why communities may choose not to fluoridate their water supplies, and it is not CDC's intention to enter these debates. But sometimes the documented benefits of fluoridation can be lost in the rhetoric, especially the protection fluoride provides for children and people of lower socio-economic levels who may not be able to get this protection anywhere else. As public health scientists and practitioners, it is our duty to make sure that scientifically-accurate information about water fluoridation is presented so that citizens and policy makers facing a choice about water fluoridation can make an informed decision.
For more information on water fluoridation, please visit the CDC Water Fluoridation Home Page.
Posted by Jay on Monday, March 16, 2009 at 2:00pm ET
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