Public water fluoridation

This thesis project addresses the issue of public water fluoridation. There is a debate within the United States as to whether or not public water systems should be fluoridated. Because of the large scale potential health impact, it is critical to determine whether or not this practice is in the best interest of the public. This paper provides an extensive review of scientific literature on the effectiveness, safety, and cost effectiveness of public water fluoridation. Following the review of scientific literature, I will present an overview of pseudo-scientific literature which advocates against public water fluoridation that, although often not scientifically sound, may have a profound impact on public opinion. That section will display both a description of these arguments and an analysis of them which will uncover faulty reasoning, incorrect information, or other inappropriate tactics used to make unsupported claims against water fluoridation. Finally, the paper will feature a small case study of a town with an unfluoridated water supply and the issues it has faced with a recent fluoridation initiative. Considering all factors, I will come to a conclusion as to whether or not cities should fluoridate their public water supplies and offer recommendations that coincide with that decision