Increase the proportion of people whose water systems have the recommended amount of fluoride — OH‑11

Status: Baseline only

  
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Baseline only

Most Recent Data:
72.8 percent (2016)

Target:
77.1 percent

Desired Direction:
Increase desired

Baseline:
72.8 percent of persons were served by community water systems with optimally fluoridated water in 2016

Increase the proportion of persons served by community systems with optimally fluoridated water systems

Target-Setting Method
Percentage point improvement

Summary

Tooth decay is caused by certain bacteria in the mouth. When a person eats sugar and other refined carbohydrates, these bacteria produce acid that removes minerals from the surface of the tooth. But fluoride can stop or even reverse the tooth decay process — it can help re-mineralize tooth surfaces and prevent cavities from forming. Adding fluoride to water systems is one of the most effective ways to prevent tooth decay.

Workgroup: Oral Health Workgroup