Water Fluoridation Ineffective When several regions in the former East Germany halted the artificial fluoridation of their water, they braced themselves for an expected rise in dental caries (cavities). However, as it turns out, they needn't have worried at all, since dental decay rates actually WENT DOWN. Although this outcome would seem contrary to commonly held beliefs, researchers hypothesize that the broader availability and application of preventive measures such as fluoride toothpaste, as well as improvements in attitudes towards oral health behavior. According to researchers, following the cessation of public water fluoridation, " ... a significant fall in caries prevalence was observed. This trend corresponded to the national caries decline and appeared to be a new population-wide phenomenon." In other words, cavity rates are coming down throughout Germany, irrelevant to whether or not the water is fluoridated. Researchers studied more than 15,000 children in the formerly fluoridated German towns of Spremberg and Zittau. Children had been examined repeatedly over the last 20 years. Caries levels for 12-year-old children significantly decreased during the years 1993 through 1996. DMFT fell from 2.36 to 1.45 (38.5%) in Spremberg and from 2.47 to 1.96 (20.6%) in Zittau. According to the study, the results provide " ... further support for the contention that caries prevalence may continue to fall after the reduction of fluoride concentration in the water supply from about 1 ppm to below 0.2 ppm F." The authors not that similar findings have been reported following the removal of fluoridation programs in the towns of Chemnitz and Plauen. They also note that the average DMFT of 1.81 for the 12-year-old children in the 4 fluoride-free towns " ... is the lowest observed in East Germany during the past 40 years". Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology October 2000; 28: 382-9