Community Water
Fluoridation and School-based Sealant Programs
A report released today by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) issued a strong recommendation for two
community-based interventions to prevent tooth decay—community water
fluoridation and school dental sealant programs. Some programs provide pit
and fissure sealants to children in a school setting, and others also
involve private dental practices or public dental clinics.
Promoting
Oral Health: Interventions for Preventing Dental Caries, Oral and
Pharyngeal Cancers, and Sports-related Craniofacial Injuries: A
Report on the Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive
Services summarizes the recommendations of the independent,
non-Federal Task Force based on systematic reviews of the scientific
evidence of effectiveness for selected community interventions to prevent
and control tooth decay, oral (mouth) and pharyngeal (throat) cancers, and
sports-related injuries to the head, mouth, and face. These conditions are
common, sometimes life-threatening, costly, and potentially preventable by
currently used strategies. For example, more than 90 percent of people 18
years and older have had tooth decay.
"This
new report combines the best available studies of community water
fluoridation and school sealant programs to inform a broad public health
audience that show that these interventions
are among the most effective means we have for preventing tooth
decay," said Dr. William R. Maas, director of CDC's oral health
program. "These strategies are particularly useful for reaching
entire communities, but especially groups at high risk for decay, and they
are essential to achieving the national objectives put forth by Healthy
People. Communities should use these findings to support their local
planning processes; if local goals and resources permit, use of these
interventions should be initiated or increased."
Community
water fluoridation is the adjustment of the natural fluoride level in a
community's water system to the optimal level for preventing tooth decay,
about 1 part per million. Dental sealants are plastic materials applied to
the pits and fissures of teeth to prevent tooth decay. School-based
programs provide pit and fissure dental sealants to children in a school
setting. School-linked programs also involve private dental practices or
public dental clinics.
In their
review of the evidence, the Task Force found that:
-
Tooth
decay typically decreased by 30 percent to 50 percent after starting
or continuing community water fluoridation.
-
In
examining the effectiveness of school-based or school-linked dental
sealant programs, there was typically a 60 percent decrease in tooth
decay on the chewing surfaces of posterior teeth after sealant
application. School-based and linked programs in the United
States generally
target vulnerable populations less likely to receive private dental
care such as children eligible for free and reduced lunch programs.
The Task
Force also evaluated other community approaches that sought to increase
use of dental sealants, to increase early detection of oral cancers and
improve health status and reduce mortality from oral cancers, and finally,
to encourage the use of helmets, facemasks, and mouthguards in contact
sports. However, for these three interventions, the Task Force was unable
to make a recommendation either for or against these approaches because of
a lack of qualifying studies on which to base a recommendation. This
finding indicates the need for more research on effectiveness for these
interventions. In the meantime, potential users are encouraged to judge
the usefulness of these interventions based on other criteria.
The Task
Force review was developed as part of The Guide to Community Preventive
Services (Community Guide) which provides recommendations on
population-based interventions to promote health and to prevent disease,
injury, disability, and premature death, appropriate for use by
communities and healthcare systems.
Related
Links
More
information about the Community Guide (including links to a variety of
resources) is available at http://www.thecommunityguide.org.*
* Links to non-Federal organizations are
provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an
endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none
should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual
organization Web pages found at this link.
Historical Document
Page last reviewed: June 1, 2007
Content source:
Division of Oral Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
