The American dental association estimates a slashing of as much as $100 million dollars a year in dental health bills if water supplies in the United States were fluoridated. This may eventually take place.
The Department of Health & Welfare has begun a new campaign to help in the fluoridation of 438 community water systems and 100 school water systems that are not yet receiving the benefits of fluoridation. This would be added to the 6,800 communities or 46% of the population in the country already gaining benefits from water fluoridation.
A survey showed that, despite its widespread practice, water fluoridation and its uses are unknown to 76 million adults, which is about 51% of the country's population. As many as 43 million adults believe its purpose is to purify drinking water or reduce pollution. Of those receiving water from public water systems, around 45 million do not know whether or not their drinking water is fluoridated.
Under the new government drive, efforts to educate the public will be intensified to bolster understanding of the values of fluoridation as a prophylactic measure against tooth decay. The know how of repairing decayed teeth has existed long before the know how of preventing it which has only come out in the last two decades or so. Swallowing sodium fluoride regularly during childhood reduces decay by up to 65% even when they reach adulthood, reducing the chances of having to undergo any dental health procedures such as extractions.
No health measure has been given much more critical observation than the fluoridation of the water supplies of cities. Decades of scientific research and community experience have proven just how beneficial and safe fluoridation is.
Children who drink fluoridated water from birth have considerably greater chances of not acquiring tooth decay. A great number of these kids can experience being completely free from decay. Lifetime benefits derived from drinking fluoridated water and the cost of children's dental health care can be cut in half.
Even older people are receiving good things from this. There is an increase in the numbers of teens who are cavity free, and there are six times more cavity free teenagers who come from fluoridated communities than there are from non fluoridated ones.
In endorsing fluoridation as the single most important step a community can take to improve dental health, the government also is looking for economies. The government support will be a boon to communities lacking adequate resources to fluoridate on their own.
As much as $2 billion is spent each year to treat dental diseases which affect 95% of all children. Fluoridation is next to polio immunization when it comes to the most beneficial measures in preventive health.
The cost to restore a child's teeth would drop by as much as $12 if every person invests just 25 cents a year. Less than $200,000 was spent by the Public Health Service in promoting fluoridation.
Strangely enough, around that time, $9 million was spent each year for other research strategies to minimize dental cavities. Fluoridation of milk and bread were among the many alternatives.
The cost of fluoridating milk in New York City averaged at around $2 for every child as compared to only 25 cents for the cost of fluoridating water. Also benefits would be denied to children who do not drink milk or suffer lactose intolerance or milk allergies. Fluoridation, as well as proper hygiene and nutrition, will serve as a foundation for better dental health.
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