Community Water Fluoridation: Changing Perceptions for the Public Good

For more than 80 years, community water fluoridation has stood as one of the nation’s most successful public health prevention strategies, dramatically reducing dental decay and improving overall health outcomes. 

In a new opinion piece featured in Compendium’s “The Voice,” Drs. Judi Haber, Nicholas G. Mosca, and Linda C. Niessen, leaders of the Santa Fe Group, reflect on the enduring importance of this initiative and the growing need to protect it against misinformation and declining public trust. 

“Science-based messages about safety, cost-effectiveness, equity, and trustworthy science must be developed and disseminated to counter national and state bans on community water fluoridation,” the authors write. “First and foremost is protecting the oral health of all U.S. children, including the most vulnerable populations.” 

Their commentary calls on policymakers, public health professionals, and advocates to reframe the conversation and reaffirm fluoridation as an equitable, evidence-based intervention that benefits communities across the lifespan. 

Read the full article in Compendium here. 

Read the full Compendium issue here.