A new study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, University of Adelaide, adds new heights regarding the health benefits of water fluoridation.
Led by Professor Gary Slade, director of the oral epidemiology Ph.D. program at UNC, researchers found that fluoridated drinking water prevents tooth decay for all adults regardless of age, and significantly for people who have had exposure to fluoride for most of their lives.
Prof. Slade said, "It was once thought that fluoridated drinking water only benefited children who consumed it from birth. Now we show that fluoridated water reduces tooth decay in adults, even if they start drinking it after childhood. In public health terms, it means that more people benefit from water fluoridation than previously thought."
Published in the Journal of Dental Research, the study has shown that adult who spent more than 75% of their lifetime living in fluoridated communities had significantly less tooth decay (up to 30% less) when compared to adults who had lived less that 25% percent of their lifetime in such communities.