Is Bottled Water Replacing Fluoridated Tap Water?

The well-known benefit of reducing dental caries in children by water fluoridation may be compromised by the dramatic increase in consumption of bottled and filtered water.

In a survey of 216 parents (81% Latino) from an urban public health clinic, researchers found that 30% of respondents never drank tap water and 41% never let their children drink tap water. Of the children who did not drink tap water, 60% drank only bottled water and 36% drank only filtered water. Latinos were significantly more likely than non-Latinos to avoid tap water for their children and themselves and to believe that tap water causes illness.