Nearly 60% of caregivers say they are more likely to give children bottled water than tap water, potentially depriving kids of fluoride that is critical to good oral health, according to the 2013 Delta Dental Children's Oral Health Survey.
Morpace conducted the oral health survey in the U.S. via the Internet with 926 primary caregivers of children from birth to age 11. For results based on the total sample of national adults, the margin of error is ±3.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
According to the survey findings, more than twice as many caregivers believe bottled water is better for children's oral health than tap water, an opinion at odds with evidence-based dentistry and more than six decades of public health experience, Delta Dental noted in a press release. Unfortunately, only 17% of parents believe that tap water is better for their children's oral health than bottled water, the survey found.
Additionally, nearly 45% of caregivers said they did not know if their water supply is fluoridated. Although 75% of people in the U.S. with access to community water supplies enjoy the benefits of fluoride, some communities still choose not to add the mineral to their water.
If children don't drink fluoridated water, Delta Dental offers these ways to get more fluoride into their diet:
- Fluoridated toothpastes, mouth rinses, and professionally applied gels or varnishes
- Dietary fluoride supplements, such as tablets, drops, or lozenges, which are typically available only by prescription and are intended for children typically older than 6 months living in areas without fluoridated water in their community
- Bottled water that states on the label that it contains the right amount of fluoride
