Fluoride in Water

Adding fluoride to public water supplies is an effective way to prevent tooth decay.

Water fluoridation has played a major role in improving the public’s dental health for more than 75 years, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has proclaimed it as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.

What is community water fluoridation?

Fluoridation of community water supplies is simply the adjustment of the existing, naturally occurring fluoride in drinking water to an optimal level for the prevention of tooth decay. Water that has been fortified with fluoride is like fortifying milk with Vitamin D, table salt with iodine, and bread and cereals with folic acid.

The latest CDC data show that in 2022, 72.3% of the U.S. population on public water systems, or 209 million people, had access to optimally fluoridated water. Learn if your public water system is fluoridated by visiting My Water’s Fluoride.

How much fluoride is recommended in community water systems?

It is recommended that community water systems adjust the amount of fluoride to 0.7 milligrams per liter of water.

Just how much is 0.7 milligrams per liter of water? It’s like:

  • One inch in 23 miles
  • One minute in 1,000 days
  • One cent in $14,000

Is fluoride a toxic substance?

Fluoride in water at the recommended level is not toxic according to the best available scientific evidence.

Toxicity is related to dose, or how much you take in. Like many common substances essential to life and good health – salt, iron, vitamins A and D, oxygen and even water itself – fluoride can be toxic in massive amounts. But fluoride at the much lower recommended concentrations (0.7 mg/L) used in community water fluoridation is not harmful or toxic.

5 reasons why fluoride in water is good for communities:

  1. Fluoride prevents tooth decay. Fluoride in water is the most efficient way to prevent one of the most common childhood diseases – tooth decay.

    Fluoride protects against tooth decay by making tooth enamel (the hard surface of the tooth) stronger. One study from the CDC has shown that children who live in communities without fluoridation are three times more likely to end up in the hospital to undergo dental surgery.
  2. Fluoride protects all ages against cavities. Fluoride is called nature's cavity fighter. Studies show that fluoride in community water systems prevents at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults, even in an era with the widespread availability of fluoride from other sources, such as fluoride toothpaste.
  3. Fluoride is safe and effective. For more than 80 years, the best available scientific evidence consistently has indicated that community water fluoridation at optimal levels is safe and effective.

    The practice has been endorsed by numerous U.S. Surgeons General, and more than 100 health organizations have joined the ADA in recognizing the health benefits of water fluoridation for preventing tooth decay, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
  4. Fluoride saves money. When it comes to the cost of treating dental disease, everyone pays. Not just those who need treatment, but the entire community – through higher health insurance premiums and higher taxes.

    The average lifetime cost per person to fluoridate a water supply is less than the cost of one dental filling. For most municipalities, every $1 invested in water fluoridation saves $38 in dental treatment costs.
  5. Fluoride is natural. Fluoride is naturally present in water sources such as rivers, lakes and oceans. Water fluoridation is simply the adjustment of fluoride to a recommended level for preventing tooth decay.

If you have questions about your family’s fluoride needs, please contact your family dentist, pediatrician or physician.

For additional information on fluoridation visit: