Fluorides Committee

This committee serves as a focal point for issue, policy and position statements and resources for state and territorial oral health programs relating to community water fluoridation and the use of fluorides, assuring that these are presented in all appropriate venues. The committee also coordinates yearly fluoridation awards at the Association's annual meeting.

Committee Roster

ASTDD Fluoride Resources

Raising Oral Health Knowledge Online Webcast Recording (January 2021)
Raising Oral Health Knowledge Online PowerPoint (January 2021)
Community Water Fluoridation Rollback Catalog Annual Report 2014-2019 (March 2020)
Compendium of ASTDD Fluoridation and Fluorides Resources (April 2023)
Community Water Fluoridation Recommended Websites for Scientific Evidence and Resources for State and Territorial Oral Health Programs (March 2023)
Silver Diamine Fluoride Fact Sheet (July 2017)
Silver Diamine Fluoride: A Game Changer in Managing Caries in High-Risk Populations? - Silver-containing products have been used as antimicrobial agents for many years in many medical applications, including dentistry. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) has been used for caries management in other countries for more than 80 years, but just gained acceptance by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2014. This presentation summarizes the clinical evidence for SDF as a topical agent to arrest or prevent dental caries. It discusses the probable mechanisms by which SDF works, the clinical indications for SDF, and offers clinical and public health recommendations for using SDF based on the available scientific literature. (January 2017)
Natural Fluoride in Drinking Water Fact Sheet (March 2023)
Fluoride Toothpaste White Paper (January 2016)
ASTDD Policy on Community Water Fluoridation (June 2015)
Fluoridation Awards Database (1998 - present)
Fluoride Varnish Issue Brief (September 2014)
ASTDD Policy Fluoride Supplements (January 2013)
Best Practice Approach Report: Use of Fluoride in Schools (Updated July 2018)
Best Practice Approach Report - Use of Fluoride: Community Water Fluoridation (May 2016)
Fluoride Varnish Policy Statement (December 2015)
ASTDD Fluoridation Fact Sheet - A one page (front and back) template that can be modified by inserting your state information and used as an educational/information tool. Contact the ASTDD Central office for a copy.

Other Organizations - General Fluoride Information

Other Organizations' Policy Statements on Fluoride

Academy for Sports Dentistry (August 2022)
American Association of Public Health Dentistry Resolution on Community Water Fluoridation (March 2010)
American Dental Association Statement on the Effectiveness of Community Water Fluoridation (2022)
American Public Health Association Policy on Community Water Fluoridation (October 2008)
American Public Health Association Policy on Fluoride Varnish (November 2010)
American Water Works Association (Revised April 2022)
Canadien Dental Hygienists Association (2017)
Institute of Science and Medicine Fluoridation Policy Statement (January 2012)

Other Organizations' Resources

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry - Use of Silver Diamine Fluoride for Dental Caries Management in Children and Adolescents, Including Those with Special Health Care Needs - This manuscript presents evidence-based guidance on the use of 38 percent silver diamine fluoride (SDF) for dental caries management in children and adolescents, including those with special health care needs. A guideline workgroup formed by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry developed guidance and an evidence-based recommendation regarding the application of 38 percent SDF to arrest cavitated caries lesions in primary teeth (2017)
BMC Oral Health - A decade after Juneau, Alaska "stopped adding fluoride to its tap water" the prediction of "more cavities ..." has now proven true. A study published in BMC Oral Health comparing the situation before and after Juneau stopped fluoridating its water supply, finds that "children are going to experience one additional caries procedure per year at a ballpark of $300 more per child." Addressing methods, data findings and limitations, the study results "indicate a clear caries epidemiologic shift toward a caries increase among patients without the protective benefit of optimal CWF." The authors suggest that their results "can offer fiscal estimates of the cost burden associated with CWF cessation policies and help decision-makers advance oral health, prevent dental caries, and promote equity in oral health outcomes." (2018)
CDC Oral Health Data Tools includes Water Fluoridation Reporting System and My Water's Fluoride - The Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS) and My Water's Fluoride (MWF) were both recompiled with a technical update to the current CDC coding standards in April 2015 and installed on a new server in 2016.
Children's Dental Health Project Report on Pew's Role in Community Water Fluoridation- A report by the CDHP explores the impact that The Pew Charitable Trusts has had on advocacy for community water fluoridation, as well as key lessons that flow from its experience in this field. These lessons can help inform state and local advocates' efforts as they work to preserve and expand fluoridation. (July 2015)
Community Water Fluoridation Brief Highlights and Lessons Learned from 2014- This brief highlights the experiences of a sample of five communities across the country that voted to retain community water fluoridation, and summarizes the key factors that contributed to their successes. (March 2015)
Division of Oral Health CDC Scientific Statement on Community Water Fluoridation (June 2018)
FluorideExposed.org
Fluoride Legislative User Information Database (FLUID)
Fluoride Science: What the Science Really Says
Surgeon General's Perspective: Community Water Fluoridation: One of CDC's "10 Great Public Health Achievements of the 20^th Century" (2016)
The Anti-Fluoridationist's Threat to Public Health; Dodes JE. Easley MW; April 2012; A review and rebuttal of classic tactics used by the anti-fluoridationist movement. (2012)
The Campaign for Dental Health offers fact sheets and other helpful resources on fluoridation and oral health. (January 2018)
FAQ about Water Fluoridation
Common Questions about Fluoride: A Resource for Parents and Caregivers
The Pew Children's Dental Campaign - Fluoridation by the numbers
U.S. Public Health Service Recommendation for Fluoride Concentration in Drinking Water for the Prevention of Dental Caries (July-Aug. 2015)
Water Intake by outdoor Temperature Among Children Aged 1-10: Implications for Community Water Fluoridation in the US - The U.S. water fluoridation recommendations, which have been in place since 1962, were based in part on findings from the 1950s that children's water intake increased with outdoor temperature. The authors examined whether or not water intake is associated with outdoor temperature. (July 2015)