Populations receiving optimally fluoridated public drinking water--United States, 1992-2006.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Public health surveillance analysis of administrative data (level assigned by design analogy).
What was done
CDC analyzed water fluoridation data from 1992 to 2006 across all 50 US states and the District of Columbia to evaluate progress toward the Healthy People 2010 target of providing optimally fluoridated water to 75% of residents on community water systems.
What was found
The percentage of the US population served by community water systems receiving optimally fluoridated water increased from 62.1% in 1992 to 65.0% in 2000 and reached 69.2% in 2006. Fluoridation coverage varied substantially by state.
Why it matters
This report tracks national progress and geographic disparities in access to community water fluoridation, a primary population-level strategy for dental caries prevention.
Limits
The abstract provides only aggregate surveillance proportions without raw population denominators, state-specific figures, or direct measures of dental health outcomes. Data accuracy depends on state reporting systems, and private well water users are not captured.
Cited by
- contradicts Approximately 80% of the United States population receives fluoridated municipal water, adding more fluoride to water than the rest of the world combined.