Fluoridated community water knowledge and opinion among hispanic parents in southwest Florida

Abstract

Fluoridated drinking water is a safe and effective method for preventing dental cariesin children and adults. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the knowledge and opinionsof Hispanic parentsin Collier County, Southwest Florida regarding fluoridated community water. The study sample included 190 Hispanic parents whose children were treated at an academic pediatric dental clinic. A structured survey instrument containing 32items was completed by the parents.The mean (±SD) age of the parents and children was 33.64±7.19 and 6.33±2.88 years, respectively, and the majority of participants were females (n=158; 83%). Thirty percent (30%) of the participants attended high school. Among the children of participants, 84.2% had experienced caries in the primary dentition and 33.7% inpermanent dentition. Approximately 64% of the parents did not know whether the tap water at home contained fluoride. With respect to the type of water consumed in the household, 84.2% did not drink tap water at home and 93.2% drank bottled water.The majority of the participants agreed that fluoride “should be added to the drinking water.”Only 5.3% of the participants belived there were health hazards associated with fluoride in drinking water, although 67.4% reported they did not know. A majority of parents did not know the purpose of water fluoridation; this may adversely affect their children’s caries experience. The results show that more dental public health education is needed within the Hispanic community in Southwest Florida regarding the fluoridation of community water and its benefits.