Question:
Keeping your child's teeth healthy means more than just brushing his teeth every day. During a routine well-child exam, you may be surprised to find the doctor examining your child's teeth and asking you about your water supply. That's because fluoride, a substance that's found naturally in water, plays an important role in healthy tooth development and cavity prevention.

What Is Fluoride?

Answer: Fluoride and the Water Supply As of 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) (CDC) statistics show that almost 66% of the U.S. population receives fluoridated water through the taps in their homes. Some communities have naturally occurring fluoride in their water; others add it in at water-processing plants.

Some parents purchase bottled water for their children to drink instead of tap water. The growing bottled water industry claims that bottled water is safer, purer, mineral-free, and better tasting, and they may be right in some cases. But most bottled waters also lack fluoride. Fluoridated bottled water is one exception - it can sometimes be found in the baby food aisle at the grocery store, usually labeled as baby water or nursery water.

Your child's doctor or dentist may know whether local water supplies contain adequate levels of fluoride (between 0.7 and 1.2 parts fluoride per million parts of water). If your water comes from a public system, you could also call your local water authority or public health department, or check online at the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites)'s (EPA) database of local water safety reports. If you use well water or water from a private source, fluoride levels should be checked by a laboratory or public health department.