Caries Prevention Effect of Water Fluoridation in Korean Urban Area

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a water fluoridation program (WFP) on prevention of dental caries in Gimhae City, Korea, with reference to the results of 2012 Korean National Oral Health Survey (KNOHS). Method: In WFP population, 972 subjects including 8, 10 and 12 year-old children in Gimhae City were examined in 2009. The WFP in Gimhae city has been implemented since 1999. 1872 subjects who lived in non-fluoridated small and medium sized cities similar to Gimhae City were selected from 2012 KNOHS data as the control population. Two dentists who received training in KNOHS with an intra-examiner-agreement examined oral health status of all subjects. To assess the effects of WFP on dental caries, the effectiveness of caries prevention was estimated by assessing the differences of DMFT and DMFS score, DMFS in pit and fissures and smooth surfaces between the population with WFP and the control. Univariable analysis of variance adjusted gender and number of fissure-sealed teeth or surfaces was conducted. Result: DMFT of 12 year-old subjects (n=354) in WFP and control population (n=1518) were 1.60 and 2.12, respectively, with an estimated prevention effect of 24.7%. Caries prevention effect on pit and fissure, and smooth surfaces of all subjects with WFP was estimated 18.0% and 18.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Within the limitation of the study, the current findings show that the Water Fluoridation Program in Gimhae City, Korea may reduce the prevalence of dental caries and is therefore worth being promoted as a public oral health program.