A new water fluoridation system will be deployed in several states in what advocates say is the first advancement in water fluoridation in decades, the American Dental Association reported May 31.
Six things to know:
1. The New Wave Tablet System works through sodium fluorosilicate tablets being broken down in the fluoridation feeder, similar to how chlorine is distributed in swimming pools.
2. Water treatment manufacturer KC Industries developed a sodium fluorosilicate tablet system and received approval from the National Sanitation Foundation, an independent public health organization that sets water treatment standards, in 2020.
3. The CDC contracted the system to improve oral health in rural communities, a process that has been in the works for more than a decade.
4. The system provides a more cost-effective method for water fluoridation in smaller communities that did not have the previous infrastructure to do so, according to the ADA's report.
5. Missouri will begin a pilot test with the system in July. Wisconsin and North Carolina will install the system in June at select sites, with more to come if the states are satisfied with the system's performance.
6. Steve McCarter, president of KC Industries, said he was confident the systems will soon gain approval throughout the rest of the U.S.