It may be difficult for small and medium cities to obtain information about the fluoride content of public water, because of the lack of equipments and technicians. This study aimed to analyze the fluoride levels of the water supplied by the public treatment stations of 40 cities situated in the northwest region of São Paulo State, during a period of 6 months, to verify if fluoridation occurs i...

BACKGROUND Questions regarding control over a water fluoridation system in a British Columbia (BC) community led to a drinking water management survey in 1997-98. METHOD A questionnaire was constructed based on published drinking water control and management criteria and was sent to 91 communities. RESULTS 73/91 surveys were returned (80% response rate); 31 reported a protected water supply...

The widespread availability of fluoride from many sources is accepted as a major reason for the caries decline among children in developed countries. There is still controversy, however, about its principal mode of action. This article reviews the evidence on fluoride's preeruptive and posteruptive effects, and suggests reasons for its continuing role in the caries decline. Early fluoridation s...

A statement concerning the ethics of water fluoridation was published in a recent issue of the Journal of the Canadian Dental Association. The arguments presented in that paper did not constitute what we would consider a complete and systematic account of the scientific and moral issues involved. It is our contention that water fluoridation, by the very nature of the way it is administered, eng...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the operational control of water fluoridation at the city water supply plant in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from January to December 2000. The water treatment supervisor filled out a questionnaire on the control of water fluoridation. In addition, water samples were collected every two weeks for fluoride analysis before and after treatment. Samples wer...

UNLABELLED The aim of this paper is to make known the potential of fluoridated salt in community oral health programs, particularly in South Eastern Europe. Since 1922, the addition of iodine to salt has been successful in Switzerland. Goiter is virtually extinct. By 1945, the caries-protective effect of fluorides was well established. Based on the success of water fluoridation, a gynecologist ...

A review of recent scientific literature reveals a consistent pattern of evidence--hip fractures, skeletal fluorosis, the effect of fluoride on bone structure, fluoride levels in bones and osteosarcomas--pointing to the existence of causal mechanisms by which fluoride damages bones. In addition, there is evidence, accepted by some eminent dental researchers and at least one leading United State...

OBJECTIVE To examine some of the potential benefits and risks of water fluoridation for older adults. METHODS This study used 'The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing', to access a nationally representative sample of 4977 people aged 50 and older. The sample was used to estimate associations between the percentage of households in a respondent's local area with a currently fluoridated water su...