Updated: February 2024

Author: Office of Oral Health, Vermont Department of Health

This indicator, or population measure, is part of our Healthy Vermonters 2030 data set. Read more about how this data helps us understand and improve the well-being of people in Vermont on the Healthy Vermonters 2030 webpage.

Because this data is meant to show how the health of our state changes during the decade from 2020-2030, some indicators may have very few data points for now. Keep checking back to see the progress our public health system and partners are making.

This measure tracks the percentage of the population on public water systems who benefit from fluoridated water. We want to maintain the baseline of 56% into 2030 and beyond, as this number has stayed consistent since 2011.

56% of Vermont residents who get their water from a public water system are currently served by systems with fluoridated water; this is well below the national Healthy People 2030 target of 77.1%. In fact, Vermont ranks 41 out of 50 when it comes this percentage (CDC, 2018).

Slight changes in this measure are due to changes in population size, not the number of optimally fluoridated public water systems.

Looking for more data?

• Look at previous data on community water fluoridation from our 2020 Scorecards.
• See a related national Healthy People 2030 objective for increasing the proportion of people with properly fluoridated water systems.

Community water fluoridation provides oral disease prevention to all members of a community regardless of socioeconomic status. In fact, the American Dental Association lists CWF as one of five steps to promote health equity. From the ADA: “Community water fluoridation is a population health initiative that is uniquely positioned to equitably prevent dental caries across all socioeconomic groups.”

Community Water Fluoridation (CWF) is a priority topic in our State Oral Health Plan, see CWF activities on page 29.  

The Office of Oral Health will work with partners to:

• Educate, support, and assist communities on the importance of community water fluoridation for better oral health for Vermonters.
• Work closely with communities, Oral Health Coalitions, and water operators to provide technical equipment assistance and operational support.
• Ensure adequate infrastructure within the Vermont Health Department to continue to support community water fluoridation.
• Continue our collaboration with Vermont Rural Water Association to provide education and training for water operators and Environmental Conservation for guidance and water regulations on community water fluoridation.
• Continue our statewide tracking, monitoring and surveillance system for fluoride concentration levels of each public water system and support CDC’s national database reporting system on fluoridation.