City of Columbia earns award for community water fluoridation

Media Contact:
Lisa Cox
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services

JEFFERSON CITY, MO - The Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services (DHSS) has announced that the City of Columbia Water Treatment Plant has been awarded the 2023 Community Water Fluoridation 50 Year Award from the American Dental Association (ADA), Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for continuously adjusting and maintaining the amount of fluoride in drinking water for the prevention of tooth decay in adults and children. This award recognizes communities that achieved excellence in community water fluoridation by maintaining a consistent level of fluoride in drinking water for 50 consecutive years, starting in 1973.

For 2023, a total of 82 public water systems in 29 states received these awards, including this Missouri community. Nationally, as of 2020, nearly three-quarters (72.7%) - or over 209 million people - served by community water systems had access to optimally fluoridated tap water.

Water fluoridation is beneficial for reducing and helping prevent tooth decay and promoting oral health throughout the lifespan, ultimately reducing tooth decay by 25% in children and adults. Time-tested and cost effective, water fluoridation is one of the best investments that a community can make in maintaining the oral health of all its citizens. Studies continue to show that the economic benefit of fluoridation programs exceed their cost. An individual can enjoy a lifetime of fluoridated water for less than the cost of one dental filling.

DHSS joins the ADA, ASTDD and CDC in saluting the dedication and perseverance of water system professionals. Because of their efforts and continued support from generations of community leaders, dental professionals and other health care providers, health care and public health organizations, the prevention of tooth decay through community water fluoridation is recognized by the CDC as one of the 10 great achievements in public health of the twentieth century. The City of Columbia Water Treatment Plant plays an important role in helping prevent a disease that affects the health of children and adults.

"We congratulate the City of Columbia on this achievement and a thank them for providing safe, dependable drinking water for their community while also assuring an important preventive health benefit," said, Dr. Jacqueline Miller, state dental director with DHSS.

For more information about water fluoridation and dental health in Missouri, please visit the DHSS Dental Health webpage.