ArticleIsrael journal of health policy research2026
Effect of community water fluoridation cessation on dental caries in 12-year-old Israeli children: a retrospective analysis of socioeconomic disparities (2014-2022).
Article in Israel journal of health policy research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIsrael's community water fluoridation policy, mandatory from 2002 until its halt in 2014, provides a natural experiment to assess fluoridation's impact on pediatric oral health. This retrospective study analyzed digital dental records of 12-year-old children (2014-2022) to assess changes in caries experience following community water fluoridation cessation.
methodsWe examined the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth index, focusing on its Missing-and-Filled (MF) component, across socioeconomic status groups, gender, and fluoridation status (fluoridated vs. non-fluoridated). Differences were assessed using one-way Welch ANOVA and post-hoc Games-Howell tests.
resultsThe MF index increased significantly after fluoridation ended, especially in low-SES populations. Twelve-year-olds in low-SES communities without fluoridated water had more than double the caries experience of those in high-SES communities (mean MF 0.82 vs. 0.40; p < 0.05). Fluoridated communities showed a considerably narrower SES gap. SES had a large effect on caries outcomes (partial η²≈0.34), and the absence of fluoridation was associated with a modest but significant increase in MF (partial η²≈0.01). Females exhibited higher MF rates than males, with gender disparities more pronounced in non-fluoridated groups. Cessation of CWF was associated with a rise in caries and widened SES and gender disparities, underscoring fluoridation's value in promoting oral health equity.
conclusionCWF remains a foundational public health measure, one that is unequaled in its ability to deliver effective, safe, equitable, and cost-saving caries prevention to entire populations. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Reinstating mandatory community water fluoridation is essential to reverse the widening oral health disparities that disproportionately affect low-SES children and females. Policymakers must prioritize this measure to restore health equity and protect vulnerable populations who rely on this passive preventive intervention.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.