Over the past half century, better dental care and fluoridation has transformed American oral health. Run-away tooth decay and rows of missing teeth, once commonplace, are now rarer than ever. But this evolution has not proceeded evenly. Millions of children, especially poor and minority kids, are needlessly suffering from oral health problems. So we have organized to defend our nation’s progress and ensure that more children get the basic dental care they need to grow, learn and lead healthy lives.

The Campaign for Dental Health was created to ensure every American has access to the cheapest, most effective way to protect teeth — water fluoridation. We are a network of local children’s and oral health advocates, health professionals and scientists who are working together to preserve our nation’s gains in oral health. We believe, quite simply, that life is better with teeth.

Children with healthy mouths do better in school and are more likely to become happy and successful adults. We want our communities to make rational decisions about their health based on science, not fear. So the mission of our work and this website is to share the facts about oral health and preventive strategies like fluoride.

More than 30 local, state and national organizations are partners in our Campaign.