Why Mention Water Fluoridation?
Patients rely on your advice to live healthier, longer lives. That is why it is vital to discuss how oral health and water fluoridation can help them do just that. Here are tools for health professionals with corresponding handouts for families!
Guides for Health Professionals and Parents/Caregivers
- Fluoride Safety: A Guide for Health Professionals (Spanish )
A concise explanation of the regulation and safety of fluoride additives and fluoridated water. Common concerns, including daily intake and infant formula, are addressed. Links to valuable resources are provided. - Fluorosis Facts: A Guide for Health Professionals (Spanish )
Gives health professionals a quick, thorough understanding of dental fluorosis and includes photos, follow-up resources, and suggestions for counseling on prevention. - Say This, Not That: Tips for Talking about Community Water Fluoridation (Spanish )
Designed to help health providers address technical, challenging questions with comfort and ease. Addressing many of the most common concerns, this tool offers discussion-friendly responses in a clever graphic format. - Common Questions about Fluoride: A Resource for Parents and Caregivers (Spanish )
Explains the importance and safety of fluoride in a question and answer format. A companion to Fluoride Safety: A Guide for Health Professionals, this handout lets your patients leave the office with accurate fluoride information in hand. - Fluorosis Facts: A Resource for Parents and Caregivers (Spanish )
Explains sources of fluoride, dental fluorosis, and gives parents stepwise guidance on preventive oral health care. A companion to Fluorosis Facts: A Guide for Health Professionals, this handout lets your patients leave the office with helpful information in hand.
Community Water Fluoridation/Oral Health Posters
- Why Do Children Need Fluoride? English: PDF | JPG; Spanish: PDF | JPG
- Fluoride: Cavity Fighter English: PDF | JPG; Spanish: PDF | JPG
- Strengthen Your Body, One Glass at a Time English: PDF; Spanish: PDF
- Oral Health Equity Begins with Community Water Fluoridation English: PDF; Spanish: PDF
- Teach Them to Brush and Floss English: PDF; Spanish: PDF
Additional Resources
When talking to your patients about oral health and fluoridation, here are a few key points to make:
When talking to your patients about oral health and fluoridation, here are a few key points to make:
Research has linked poor oral health to diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
- Brush twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste
- Floss daily
- Cut down on snacks, especially those that are high in sugar or starch
- Get regular check ups
- Drink fluoridated water
Fluoride occurs naturally in almost all water but not always at levels that effectively prevent tooth decay. That’s why we practice community water fluoridation. Just as we add vitamin D to milk for healthy bones and folic acid to bread for healthy red blood cells, we adjust fluoride in water to the optimum level to prevent tooth decay.
More than 3,000 scientific studies and research findings have been published on fluoride. The overwhelming evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation. It is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the World Health Organization, and many other respected health and medical organizations.
Community water fluoridation is credited with reducing tooth decay by as much as 25%, and that is over and above the effects of fluoridated products such as toothpaste and mouthrinse.
What Respected Organizations And Experts Say About Water Fluoridation
American Osteopathic Association
“The American Osteopathic Association supports the fluoridation of fluoride-deficient public water supply.”
“Research shows that community water fluoridation offers perhaps the greatest return-on-investment of any dental care strategy.”
— Pew Charitable Trusts