BACKGROUND Epidemiological and animal-based studies have suggested that prenatal and postnatal fluoride exposure has adverse effects on neurodevelopment. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between exposure to fluoridated water and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) prevalence among children and adolescents in the United States. METHODS Data on ADHD prevalence a...

OBJECTIVE Tooth decay has been substantially reduced in New Zealand, and the difference in caries rates between fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas has narrowed. We investigated whether it is cost-effective to fluoridate water supplies that are now non-fluoridated. METHODS The net cost of fluoridation was based on the cost of fluoridating a water supply minus the averted costs of treating d...

BACKGROUND Implementing community water fluoridation involves costs, but these need to be considered against the likely benefits. We aimed to assess the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness of water fluoridation in New Zealand (NZ) in terms of expenditure and quality-adjusted life years. METHODS Based on published studies, we determined the risk reduction effects of fluoridation, we quantified...

Evidence of water fluoridation's effects on plants, animals, and humans is considered based on reviews by scientific groups and individual communities, including Fort Collins, CO, Port Angeles, WA, and Tacoma-Pierce County, WA. The potential for corrosion of pipes and the use of fluoridation chemicals, particularly fluorosilicic acid, are considered, as is the debate about whether fluoridation ...

Since 1972, community water fluoridation programs have not been practiced in Japan. Risk perception among the population plays an important role in the implementation of water fluoridation programs. The oral health behavior of Japanese children has changed, especially due to recent increases among children in the use of fluoridated products and fluoride applications by dentists. The purpose of ...

Dental caries remain a public health problem for many developing countries and for underprivileged populations in developed countries. This paper outlines the historical development of public health approaches to the use of fluoride and comments on their effectiveness. Early research and development was concerned with waterborne fluorides, both naturally occurring and added, and their effects o...

Community water fluoridation is a WHO recommended strategy to prevent dental carries. One debated concern is that hydrofluorosilicic acid, used to fluoridate water, contains arsenic and poses a health risk. This study was undertaken to determine if fluoridation contributes to arsenic in drinking water, to estimate the amount of additional arsenic associated with fluoridation, and compare this t...

OBJECTIVES Despite a Commission of Inquiry into water fluoridation recommending the fluoridation of public water supplies to the optimal fluoride concentration of 0.7 ppm, as well as regulations for the introduction of water fluoridation which compel water providers to fluoridate public water supplies, no artificially fluoridated water scheme exists in South Africa. In view of concerns expresse...

Despite great improvements in the oral health of populations across the world, problems still persist particularly among poor and disadvantaged groups in both developed and developing countries. According to the World Oral Health Report 2003, dental caries remains a major public health problem in most industrialized countries, affecting 60-90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. ...

OBJECTIVE To use the technique of meta-analysis to address the following research questions: Is water fluoridation associated with altered fracture risk at a population level and are the differences between studies consistent with confounding or chance variation between studies? METHOD The data sources utilised were Medline 1966-97, reviews and bibliographies. The search terms were fluoridati...