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Delaware public water systems honored with CDC fluoridation award

February 19, 2013

The Delaware Division of Public Health recently announced that 30 Delaware communities have been awarded Water Fluoridation Quality Awards from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This award is granted to communities that adjust and achieve a fluoride level in drinking water that is optimal in the prevention of tooth decay for 12 consecutive months in a year.

“We are pleased that more states and communities than ever have achieved this measure of excellence in their water fluoridation programs,” said Dr. William Bailey, DDS, MPH, acting director of the CDC Division of Oral Health. “Community water fluoridation is one of the most effective means available for avoiding tooth decay, preventing at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults.”

Community water fluoridation has been recognized by the CDC as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century. Currently, nearly 204 million people served by community water systems have access to optimally fluoridated tap water. CDC recommends water fluoridation as a safe, effective, and inexpensive method of preventing decay.

Local water departments receiving the award include Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach, Georgetown, Harrington, Lewes, Milford, Milton, Rehoboth Beach, Selbyville, South Bethany and the Town of Henlopen Acres.

 

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