The city of Bartlesville is one of 13 water systems in Oklahoma that recently received a Water Fluoridation Quality Award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in drinking water to a level that is effective for preventing tooth decay. The award recognizes those communities which achieved excellence in community water fluoridation by maintaining a consistent level of fluoride in drinking water through 2017.
For 2017, a total of 1,499 public water systems in 30 states, including 13 in Oklahoma, received these awards.
“The OSDH supports community water fluoridation and recognizes the practice as beneficial to all who drink and use the water, OSDH Director of Dental Health Service Dr. Jana Winfree said. “Preventive dental care programs, such as community water fluoridation, make a real difference in improving the health of Oklahomans.”
The other water systems in Oklahoma received the Water Fluoridation Quality Award are:
• Chickasha Municipal Authority
• Madill
• Muskogee
• Oklahoma Ordinance Works Authority — Pryor
• Oklahoma City — Draper Water Treatment Plant
• Oklahoma State University — Stillwater
• Ponca City Municipal Water
• Poteau Valley Improvement Authority
• City of Sand Springs
• Sallisaw
• Tulsa — A.B. Jewel
• Tulsa — Mohawk
Casey Hannan, acting director of the CDC Division of Oral Health, said water fluoridation is one of the best investments in oral health that a community can make.
“It is equally as effective in preventing cavities in children and adults. Fluoridation is also highly cost effective. Studies continue to show that for every $1 a community invests in water fluoridation, $20 are saved in dental health costs.”
*Original article titled City wins quality award is online at https://www.examiner-enterprise.com/news/20181123/city-wins-quality-award