Fluoride and Sealants -- Dentistry's Best Weapons Against Tooth Decay

Tooth decay (dental caries) has plagued people for centuries. Scientific evidence supports the use of fluorides and dental sealants to prevent tooth decay in both children and adults. Fluoride works by stopping or even reversing the decay process. It keeps the tooth enamel strong and can decrease the risk of cavities on the root surface of the tooth.

Fluoride is naturally present in all water. Community water fluoridation is the adjustment of the natural fluoride level in public water systems to an optimal level to prevent tooth decay. In Ohio, most water systems that serve over 5,000 persons are required by law to adjust the fluoride level to 0.8 – 1.3 parts fluoride per million parts water. About 91 percent of persons on public water systems receive the benefits of optimally fluoridated water. However, more than 942,000 Ohioans on public water systems do not.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) promotes water fluoridation by providing information on the safety, benefits and cost of fluoridation and by providing financial and technical assistance to community water systems through the Fluoridation Reimbursement Program. ODH also informs health professionals and the public on the proper use of various other preventive fluoride measures, such as fluoride varnish, and provides information on fluoride levels in Ohio communities.

Dental sealants are thin, plastic coatings that are painted on the biting surfaces of the back teeth. Sealants block food and decay-causing bacteria from entering the narrow grooves of the teeth where decay is most likley to occur. While dental sealants have repeatedly been demonstrated to effectively reduce tooth decay on the chewing surfaces of the back teeth, recent studies show only 43 percent of third-grade schoolchildren in Ohio have one or more sealants on their permanent teeth.

ODH promotes the use of sealants by providing grant funds to support school-based sealant programs and by sharing the most current recommendations on the use of dental sealants.

Mailing Address: 
Ohio Department of Health
Bureau of Oral Health Services
246 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Telephone: (614) 466-4180
Fax: (614) 564-2421 

E-mail: BOHS@odh.ohio.gov

Last Updated: 08/28/08

                                           Oral Health Main Page / Other Oral Health Links