Biomaterial Database

Fifty years of water fluoridation. 1995

B A Burt

School of Public Health, University of Michigan.

On January 25, 1945, the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, began adding sodium fluoride to its drinking water. This action culminated a 14-year period of research which continues to have far-reaching effects on both public health and the practice of dentistry. The fact that the oral health of children and young adults today has never been higher is a direct consequence of this research. These events, and the group of rather extraordinary people who were the principal actors in them, are so important a part of dentistry's development that they are worth a brief retelling.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D003731	Dental Caries	Localized destruction of the tooth surface initiated by decalcification of the enamel followed by enzymatic lysis of organic structures and leading to cavity formation. If left unchecked, the cavity may penetrate the enamel and dentin and reach the pulp.	Caries, Dental,Carious Lesions,Dental Cavities,Dental Cavity,Dental Decay,Dental White Spots,Carious Dentin,Decay, Dental,Dental White Spot,White Spot, Dental,White Spots, Dental,Carious Dentins,Carious Lesion,Cavities, Dental,Cavity, Dental,Dentin, Carious,Dentins, Carious,Lesion, Carious,Lesions, Carious,Spot, Dental White,Spots, Dental White
D005457	Fluoridation	Practice of adding fluoride to water, and other food or beverages, for the purpose of preventing DENTAL CARIES.	Milk Fluoridation,Salt Fluoridation,Water Fluoridation,Fluoridation, Milk,Fluoridation, Salt,Fluoridation, Water
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D049673	History, 20th Century	Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era.	20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History