Water fluoridation [essay samples] (part 3)
Posted by admin on November 19th, 2009(Custom research papers at research paper services)
The effectiveness of community water fluoridation in prohibiting dental caries triggered quick implementation of this public health method in cities everywhere in the United States. As a result, dental caries declined almost suddenly during the 2nd half of the twentieth century. For instance, the mean DMFT among children aged twelve years in US declined sixty eight percent, from 4 in 1966-70 to 1.3 in 1988-94 .Many professional and scientific firms including the American Dental Association, the American Medical Association, WHO etc. quickly promoted water fluoridation. Information about the advantages of water fluoridation led to the development of other classifications for delivery of fluoride, like toothpastes, mouth gels, mouth washes, tablets etc. Several nations in Europe and Latin America have added fluoride to table salt (Dean, 1942).
Early studies revealed that caries reduction accountable to fluoridation level from fifty percent to seventy percent, but by the middle of 1980s the mean DMFS scores in the permanent dentition of children who lived in communities with fluoridated water were only eighteen percent lower than among those living in communities without fluoridated water .A review of surveys on the impact of water fluoridation conducted in the US during 1979-89 revealed that caries reduction was eight to thirty seven percent among adults (average: 26.5%) .From the early days of community water fluoridation, the existence of teeth caries has reduced dramatically in both communities with and communities without using fluoridated water in the US. This phenomenon is accountable mainly to the dissemination of fluoridated water to places devoid of fluoridated water via bottling and processing of foods and beverages in places with fluoridated water and popular usage of fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste is effective in preventing dental caries, but its impact depends on frequency of usage by individuals or their caretakers. On the contrary, water fluoridation reaches all residents of communities and generally is not dependent on individual behavior. Although early studies focused mostly on children, water fluoridation also is advantageous in preventing dental caries in grown ups. Fluoridation lessens enamel caries in adolescents by twenty to forty percent and prevents caries on the uncovered root surfaces of teeth, a condition that essentially influences older adults. Water fluoridation is particularly advantageous for communities with low socioeconomic conditions. Those communities possess a non proportional load of dental caries and have fewer privileges than higher income communities to reach dental-care services and other sources of fluoride. Water fluoridation may help to lessen such dental health issues.
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Tags: american, children, development, low
