A Systematic Review of Public Water Fluoridation

Download or read book A Systematic Review of Public Water Fluoridation written by and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The aim of this systematic review has been to assess the evidence on the positive and negative effects of population wide drinking water fluoridation strategies to prevent caries. 214 studies met full inclusion criteria for one or more of the objectives. The best available evidence suggests that fluoridation of drinking water supplies does reduce caries prevalence. This review presents a summary of the best available and most reliable evidence on the safety and efficacy of water fluoridation. Given the level of interest surrounding the issue of public water fluoridation, it is surprising to find that little high quality research has been undertaken. As such, this review should provide both researchers and commissioners of research with an overview of the methodological limitations of previous search conducted in this area. The evidence of a benefit of a reduction in caries should be considered together with the increased prevalence of dental fluorosis. The research evidence is of insufficient quality to allow confident statements about other potential harms or whether there is an impact on social inequalities.