The environmental impact of community caries prevention - part 3: water fluoridation.

Introduction Community-level interventions for the prevention of dental caries in children include fluoride varnish in schools, supervised toothbrushing in schools, the provision of toothbrushes and toothpaste and water fluoridation. The environmental impact of these interventions is an important factor to consider when commissioning these services.Materials and methods A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted to quantify the environmental impact of fluoridation of the public water supply for a five-year-old child over a one-year period.