Sanders AE, et al. - In this cohort study, researchers investigated if water fluoridation reduced income-related inequality in dental caries among US children and adolescents. According to the findings of research conducted in Canada, water fluoridation might attenuate income-related inequality in dental caries.

• Participants were children and adolescents of varying income levels living in areas with vs without water fluoridation in the US.
• Researchers studied the incidence of dental caries among participants.
• They used 2 nationally representative data sets.
• By age 11 years, an American child living in poverty has twice the level of dental caries (tooth decay) as one living at three times the poverty threshold.
• There is a need for interventions meant to preferentially prevent disease at the lower end of the income distribution in order to achieve the Healthy People 2020 overarching goal of health equity.