Scientific consensus that fluoridation improves everyone’s dental health

The Australian Dental Association Inc. has welcomed the latest release of significant research that serves as a major addition to the scientific consensus that drinking fluoridated water is beneficial to all Australians' dental health. Not only does this new research further support the beneficial effects of fluoridation, previously shown for children, it shows the beneficial effects on adult populations.

The release of the article, ‘Effects of Fluoridated Drinking Water on Dental Caries in Australian Adults’, in the Journal of Dental Research, shows that Australian adults with more than 75% lifetime exposure to water fluoridation have significantly reduced caries experience when compared with those with less than a 25% lifetime exposure. This reduction has occurred in adult Australians born in both the pre- and post-fluoridation generation. The significance of this is that the introduction of water fluoridation to a community will benefit all residents, not only those who grow up drinking fluoridated water.

“Reducing the frequency of dental decay and disease is in everybody’s interests, ADA President Dr Karin Alexander said. "We hope that all levels of government, and especially those local councils that are deciding whether to continue the fluoridation of their water supplies, seriously consider this latest scientific research report.”