November 4, 2011
Fluoridation Program Protects Residents and Saves Health Care Costs
(Richmond, Va.)-The Virginia Department of Health announced this week the recipients of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Water Fluoridation Quality Awards. The honor recognizes community water systems that met a number of stringent community water fluoridation requirements throughout 2010.
Fluoridation adjusts the amount of fluoride in the water to optimal levels for preventing tooth decay. The CDC identifies community water fluoridation as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th Century, and as one of the most effective public health measures to prevent tooth decay. CDC recommends water fluoridation as a safe, effective, and inexpensive method of preventing decay; every $1 invested in fluoridation saves approximately $38 in costs for dental treatment. In addition, studies have shown that fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay among adults as well as children.
In 2008, more than 195 million people, or 72.4 percent of the United States’ population served by public water supplies, consumed drinking water with optimal fluoride levels for preventing decay. “Thanks to the efforts of communities in Virginia, community water fluoridation reaches more than 80 percent of residents,” said Dental Health Programs Manager Karen C. Day, DDS, MS, MPH. This exceeds the national objective of reaching 75 percent of residents. “By providing optimal levels of fluoride in their water supplies, these communities are helping to improve the health of their citizens as well as reduce the costs associated with tooth decay.” For more information about community water fluoridation visithttp://www.vahealth.org/dental/communitywaterfluoridation/index.htm
Recipients of 2010 Water Fluoridation Quality Awards:
- Amherst County Service Authority
- Town of Appalachia
- Town of Big Stone Gap
- Town of Bluefield
- Town of Bridgewater
- Buckingham County Water System
- Campbell County Central System
- City of Fairfax
- Fairfax County Water Authority
- Town of Fries
- Greenville County Water and Sewer Authority-Jarratt
- Hanover Suburban Water System
- Henrico County Water system
- Town of Hillsville
- Town of Richlands
- Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority-Observatory Water Treatment Plant
- Roanoke River Service Authority
- Scott County Public Service Authority-Duffield
- Spotsylvania County Utilities
- Tazewell County Public Service Authority– Claypool Hill
- Washington County Service Authority
- Town of Wytheville