The power of prevention
Celebrated as one of the Top 10 public health achievements of the 20th Century, community water fluoridation has helped reduce cavities and improved the oral health of generations of Americans. The simple act of adding a good balance of fluoride to tap water strengthens teeth and helps reduce cavities by 25%.
Water fluoridation benefits everyone regardless of age, income level or insurance status. But it is especially helpful within communities of color, lower-income households, rural areas, immigrant populations, young adults just starting out and others who experience barriers to accessing preventive oral health care and early dental treatments.
Yet Washington state lags the nation when it comes to providing residents the optimum amounts of fluoride in their drinking water. Nearly three-quarters of US residents (73%) live communities with water fluoridation. But in Washington state, a little over half (56%) of residents receive fluoridated water from the community water systems.
Oral Health Watch supports community water fluoridation and other proven public health measures because prevention is preferable to treating illness. Click here to tell legislators that you support policies that expand water fluoridation and help make this essential public health measure more accessible to Washington’s residents.