Fluoridation of community water supplies is safe. This has been the American Dental
Association’s (ADA) policy since 1950. The ADA’s policies regarding community water
fluoridation are based on the overwhelming weight of credible scientific evidence.
This body of knowledge is based on the efforts of nationally recognized scientists who
have conducted research using the scientific method, have drawn appropriate balanced
conclusions based on their research findings and have published their results in refereed
(peer-reviewed) professional journals that are widely held or circulated such as The
Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Public Health.
Studies showing the safety of water fluoridation have been confirmed by independent
scientific studies.

Fluoride is nature’s cavity fighter occurring naturally in the earth’s crust in combination
with other minerals found in soil and rocks. Small amounts of fluoride occur naturally in
all water sources. Water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the natural level of
fluoride to a concentration sufficient to protect against tooth decay (0.7 to 1.2 parts per
million). Fluoride in these low concentrations is not toxic or harmful.

Throughout more than 55 years of research and practical experience, the overwhelming
weight of credible scientific evidence has consistently indicated that fluoridation of
community water supplies is safe. The possibility of any adverse health effects from
continuous low-level consumption of fluoride has been and continues to be extensively
studied. Of the hundreds of credible scientific studies on fluoridation, none has shown
health problems associated with the consumption of optimally fluoridated water.

In 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher wrote in his report, Oral Health in
America, “Community water fluoridation is safe and effective in preventing dental caries
in both children and adults. Water fluoridation benefits all residents served by
community water supplies regardless of their social or economic status.” Additionally,
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research continue to support water fluoridation as a safe method of
preventing tooth decay in people of all ages.

Based on data for 2000, approximately 162 million people (two-thirds of the population)
in the United States are served by public water systems that are fluoridated. The ADA,
along with state and local dental societies, continues to work with federal, state, and local
agencies to increase the number of communities benefiting from water fluoridation.
For more information regarding fluoride and fluoridation, visit the American Dental
Association’s “Fluoride and Fluoridation” Web site at http://www.ada.org/goto/fluoride.

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