Hi everyone!
It appears that 6 million more U.S. residents have access to community 
fluoridated water when compared to the 2010 statistics gathered by the CDC. This is good news. The CDC’s Division of Oral Health reported their findings and posted it online on December 16th. Since 2008, an additional 15 million people have received the benefits of fluoridated water. Based on this positive news, the Healthy People 2020 initiative is well on its way to becoming a reality well before its target date.
Healthy People 2020
These national goals and objectives by the CDC were set up to promote and improve the oral health of all Americans. Basically, its agenda was to improve the quality of life and concurrently eradicate regional health disparities. The availability of fluoridated water has been on a steady increase since the Healthy People 2020’s inception. At the end of 2012, 74 percent or approximately 210 million people had community water systems with fluoridated water in the US. According to the initiative, 79 percent of the population should have access by 2020. As Healthy People 2020 accelerates it’s quite possible that it may surpass its intended goal.
We’ve come a long way
Since those early days in 1945, when Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first city to adjust its city’s fluoride levels to meet the new standard set forth by the CDC, community water fluoridation has been the most effective public health measure to date. Studies conducted throughout the last 65 years have shown that fluoride in water has proven effective in decreasing dental caries in both adults and children. The unique value it brings is that no matter where you are: home, school or work you’ll get added protection against cavities. Continued studies reveal that fluoride is the reason behind a 20 to 40 percent reduction in tooth decay, even in a time when Americans are eating significantly more sugar per capita than any time in the past and where every dental care item seems to have a fluoride component.
To find out whether your community has sufficient fluoride in your water supply, check out the CDC’s fluoride source indicate at My Water’s Fluoride. It’s time to stop treating good oral health as if it were an extravagance, and time to acknowledge it as extremely essential to good overall health. The focus of Healthy People 2020 remains on 26 health topics with one of its objectives being across the board improved oral health by 2020. These topics cover issues like dental caries, gum disease and oral and facial pain to name a few.
Of particular concern to the CDC program is the recent increase of dental caries among preschool children 2 to 5, with lack of access to dental care being the primary concern. The increasing levels of dental decay in preschool children has caught many experts by surprise in view of the overall public’s improvement in this area. Fluoridation has been so successful that previous to this spike in preschool tooth decay the concern had been with periodontal or gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults, which still needs improvement and further studies.
While overall the new CDC statistics are good news, we certainly have no intention of sleeping on the job here at Dr. Mark Langberg, DDS, MAGD. No one should have to experience oral or have a cavity at 2 or 3 years of age when we have the expertise and knowledge to prevent it. Call our office at 248-514-6498 and schedule a checkup soon to make sure you’re on the right dental track. We want you to enjoy the 2014 in good health and good cheer!
Until Next Time,
Mark W Langberg, DDS, MAGD
Your Southfield Family Dentist
Tel: (248) 356-8790