C.E. Credit. Truth Decay and Tooth Decay: The Role of Dental Teams in Sharing the Science of Community Water Fluoridation

ABSTRACT

Background

The benefits and safety of community water fluoridation (CWF) are well-established with over eight decades of research. Yet, some communities have ceased CWF due to mistrust in the safety of this program. Public health infrastructure faces a challenge in addressing misinformation and fostering trust in evidence-based recommendation. Understanding individual decision-making can offer clues for why some people in our communities are not comfortable with public health programs. A review of recent data shows the role of dental care providers as trusted leaders in health information in a culture of doubt.

Conclusion

The role of dental providers as trusted leaders requires that they be supported with evidence-based resources. These resources can strengthen their ability to educate patients about the benefits and safety of CWF. Dental providers can build trust in CWF by learning the history of CWF research, addressing concerns about drinking public water, and integrating toolkits to build health literacy and confidence with personal health decision-making. Dental team members can build confidence by sharing the safety and benefits of community water fluoridation. Building comfort in drinking public tap water and fluoridation programs can strengthen population health practices.

Continuing Education Credit Available

The practice worksheet is available online in the supplemental material tab for this article. A CDA Continuing Education quiz is online for this article: https://www.cdapresents360.com/learn/catalog/view/20.

KEYWORDS:

• Oral health
• community water fluoridation
• misinformation
• behavioral health
• fluoride
• oral health policy

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the American Dental Association and the California Oral Health Technical Assistance Center for creating resources and toolkits to assist with fluoridation education and advocacy.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary Material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/19424396.2024.2348079.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tooka Zokaie

Tooka Zokaie, MPH, MAS, CPH, is a Senior Health Policy Analyst for the California Dental Association and Doctorate in Public Health Candidate at University of Illinois, Chicago. She earned her Masters in Public Health from University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Masters in Population Health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and has been a Certified Public Health Practitioner since 2020. Ms. Zokaie’s work involves collaborating on public health topics including community water fluoridation, substance use disorders, school-based oral health, interprofessional collaboration, behavioral health sciences, and dental care access. She is a Section Councilor of the Oral Health Section and Governing Councilor of the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Section of the American Public Health Association.

Matt Jacob

Matt Jacob, BA, is a public health communications consultant who has worked with numerous state health agencies, foundations and nonprofits to strengthen communication. His consulting clients have included the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Fluoridation Society, Arcora Foundation, and California Department of Public Health. Mr. Jacob has authored several articles about health communication or policy that have been published in peer-reviewed journals, such as the Journal of Dental Research and Population Medicine. His work has been honored by HealthLiteracyMonth.org and the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors.

Howard Franklin Pollick

Howard Franklin Pollick, BDS, MPH, is a health sciences clinical professor, Department of Preventive & Restorative Dental Sciences, School of Dentistry at the University of California San Francisco. He earned his BDS from Manchester, England, and his MPH from UC Berkeley. A diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health since 1985, Dr. Pollick is an American Dental Association expert spokesperson on fluoridation since 2004, a member of the ADA National Fluoridation Advisory Committee and a fluoridation consultant to the California Department of Public Health. He is the recipient of the 2010 Fluoridation Special Merit Award from the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, the 2015 recipient of the UCSF Chancellor’s Award for Public Service, and the recipient of the 2017 John W. Knutson Distinguished Service Award in Dental Public Health from the American Public Health Association’s Oral Health Section.