In this Share & Learn, we built on previous webinars on community water fluoridation and the California Fluoridation Manual. UC San Francisco’s Fluoride Team presented on community water fluoridation, including fluoride misinformation, issues with prior studies, and recent evidence on its benefits and safety. Sacramento County’s Local Oral Health Program (LOHP) shared communication strategies for navigating a shifting fluoride landscape. Presenters also shared practical outreach tools and resources to strengthen community and partner engagement. The session concluded with a Q&A featuring fluoride experts.
Learning objectives:
- Describe recent evidence, controversies, and public perceptions related to community water fluoridation.
- Identify communication strategies, tools, and resources to support community water fluoridation efforts.
Links and resources shared:
- Recent literature about community water fluoridation
- Re: Letter to the Editor of Public Health in response to 'Association……'? between low fluoride exposure and children's intelligence: A meta-analysis relevant to community water fluoridation'
- Childhood fluoride exposure and cognition across the life course
- Municipal water fluoridation, adolescent IQ, and cognition across the life course: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study
- State-Level Costs of Removing Fluoride from Community Water Systems
- Fluoride communication resources
COHTAC: California Fluoridation Manual
CDPH Fluoridation Social Media Toolkits: English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog
CDPH: Fluoridation Fact Sheet
CDPH: Water Fluoridation FAQ
- AAP: Say This, Not That
- AAP: Fluoridation Information to Help Answer Customer Questions
Smile, CA: Fluoride Fights Tooth Decay (English)
Smile, CA: El fluoruro combate las caries (Spanish)
CDC: Communities Benefit from Water Fluoridation Infographic
- Other fluoride resources
- Oral health resources