Community Water Fluoridation at Optimal Levels is Safe and Effective

CHICAGO, September 25, 2024 — The American Dental Association (ADA) remains staunchly in support of community water fluoridation at optimal levels to help prevent tooth decay. The district court ruling against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides no scientific basis for the ADA to change its endorsement of community water fluoridation as safe and beneficial to oral health.

The key takeaway for the public and public health community from this ruling is that it “does not conclude with any certainty that fluoridated water is injurious to public health,” as stated by District Court Judge Edward Chen. Based on the ruling, the EPA is required to take a regulatory action, but the ruling did not ban or in any way limit the addition of fluoride to public drinking water supplies. Community water fluoridation at optimal levels is currently defined as 0.7 parts per million by the U.S. Public Health Service and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many leading public health authorities.

“Oral health should not be a luxury; it’s essential. Optimally fluoridated water is accessible to communities regardless of socioeconomic status, education or other social variables” said Linda J. Edgar, D.D.S., president of the American Dental Association. “Even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from various sources, studies show that community water fluoridation prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in children and adults throughout their life span. The scientific weight of sound evidence around the benefit of community water fluoridation is clear and compelling.”

For more than 75 years, public water systems across the country have adjusted the existing and naturally-occurring fluoride levels in drinking water to the recommended optimum concentration to help prevent tooth decay. Community water fluoridation has also been hailed by the CDC as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20^th century.

The ADA is aware there is widespread misinformation circulating online and in social media around community water fluoridation. The Association urges its members and the public to be cautious of “pseudo-scientific information”. This information is not always based on research conducted according to impartial and evidence-based scientific methodology; and the conclusions drawn from research are not always scientifically justifiable or without bias.

To learn more about the benefits of fluoride, please visit MouthHealthy.org or view Fluoridation Facts on the ADA website.

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance has long been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org.

The ADA Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 as the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children (later, the Forsyth Institute), to provide dental care to the disadvantaged children of Boston. While continuing to serve children in need, yet recognizing the ultimate goal is to prevent dental disease, the Institute in 1915 began to focus on scientific research and is today the world’s leader in oral health research. In October of 2023, the Institute joined with the American Dental Association to form the ADA Forsyth Institute, a 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to improving people’s oral and overall health and powering the profession of dentistry through cutting-edge basic research, creative translational science, innovative clinical technologies, and global public health outreach. Consistent with the Institute’s founding mission, the ADA ForsythKids mobile dental program continues to serve children in need.