The Iowa Department of Public Health recently announced that several communities in the state had earned a 2017 Water Fluoridation Quality award, and five of them were in the Raccoon Valley Radio listening area.

The recognition is given annually by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and this year they were excited to present awards to 105 different communities, a 110% increase from 2016. Included among the recipients were the cities of Perry and Dexter in Dallas County, Jefferson and Scranton in Greene County, and Guthrie Center in Guthrie County. The CDC gives the Water Fluoridation Quality awards to communities that maintained consistent levels of fluoride in the drinking water throughout the year, showing a commitment to the dental health of their residents.

Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in drinking water to a level that is effective in oral hygiene, and its presence in a water supply has been shown to prevent approximately 25% of tooth decay in children and adults in the population.