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Water Fluoridation Data & Statistics

Monitoring Fluoridation in the United States

The number of communities and people who benefit from water fluoridation is continuing to grow. This effective public health intervention was initiated in the United States in 1945. In 2014, 74.4% of the U.S. population on public water systems, or a total of 211,393,167 people, had access to fluoridated water.

CDC monitors the progress of the nation and individual states toward meeting the Healthy People 2020 objective on community water fluoridation—that 79.6% of people on public water systems will receive water that has the optimum level of fluoride recommended for preventing tooth decay.

Data Summaries

Fluoridation Statistics State-reported data on fluoridated water systems is linked to census data to create national fluoridation statistics. View the most recent reports.

Graph of U.S. Percentage Fluoridation Status 1940 – 2014

Calculating Fluoridation Statistics This fact sheet describes the methodology used by state drinking water programs, the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, and CDC to estimate the number of people served by water systems, the number of people receiving fluoridated water, 
and the Healthy People objective for water fluoridation.

Resources

Water Fluoridation Reporting System (WFRS)
WFRS is a water fluoridation monitoring data system for state and tribal water fluoridation program managers and oral health program directors or managers. Data from WFRS are summarized in the biennial report of national and state fluoridation statistics.

My Water's Fluoride (MWF)
MWF allows consumers in states participating in the CDC water fluoridation data systems to learn basic information about their water system.

Other data sources are available in Data Systems.

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