IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i5p2372-d508108.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Community Water Fluoridation: Caveats to Implement Justice in Public Oral Health

Author

Listed:
  • Youngha Song

    (Department of Preventive and Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea
    Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, Adelaide Dental School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5000, Australia)

  • Junhewk Kim

    (Department of Dental Education, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea)

Abstract

Community water fluoridation (CWF), a long-established public health intervention, has been studied for scientific evidence from both of yea and nay standpoints. To justify CWF with scientific evidence inevitably leads to ethical justification, which raises the question of whether oral health is of individual concern or social responsibility. As dental caries is a public health problem, public health ethics should be applied to the topic instead of generic clinical ethics. From both pro- and anti-fluoridationists’ perspectives, CWF is a public health policy requiring a significant level of intervention. Thus, there needs to take further considerations for justifying CWF beyond the simple aspect of utility. For further ethical considerations on CWF, three caveats were suggested: procedural justice, social contexts, and maintenance of trust. The process to justify CWF should also be justified, not simply by majority rule but participatory decision-making with transparency and pluralistic democracy. Social contexts are to be part of the process of resolving conflicting values in public health interventions. Public trust in the dental profession and the oral healthcare system should be maintained over the considerations. This article suggests accountability for reasonableness as a framework to consider infringement by CWF for public justification of its implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Youngha Song & Junhewk Kim, 2021. "Community Water Fluoridation: Caveats to Implement Justice in Public Oral Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-10, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2372-:d:508108
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2372/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/5/2372/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katherine Ho & Matthew Neidell, 2009. "Equilibrium effects of public goods: The impact of community water fluoridation on dentists," NBER Working Papers 15056, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Martin, Douglas K. & Giacomini, Mita & Singer, Peter A., 2002. "Fairness, accountability for reasonableness, and the views of priority setting decision-makers," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 279-290, September.
    3. Broadbent, J.M. & Thomson, W.M. & Ramrakha, S. & Moffitt, T.E. & Zeng, J. & Page, L.A.F. & Poulton, R., 2015. "Community water fluoridation and intelligence: Prospective study in New Zealand," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(1), pages 72-76.
    4. Carstairs, C., 2015. "Debating water fluoridation before Dr. Strangelove," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(8), pages 1559-1569.
    5. Viehbeck, S.M. & Petticrew, M. & Cummins, S., 2015. "Old myths, new myths: Challenging myths in public health," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(4), pages 665-669.
    6. Grandjean, P. & Choi, A.L., 2015. "Community water fluoridation and intelligence," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(4), pages 1-3.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Man Hung & Amir Mohajeri & Jody Chiang & Jungweon Park & Beatrice Bautista & Chase Hardy & Martin S. Lipsky, 2023. "Community Water Fluoridation in Focus: A Comprehensive Look at Fluoridation Levels across America," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(23), pages 1-11, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vuorenkoski, Lauri & Toiviainen, Hanna & Hemminki, Elina, 2003. "Drug reimbursement in Finland--a case of explicit prioritising in special categories," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 169-177, November.
    2. Klerkx, Laurens & Leeuwis, Cees, 2008. "Institutionalizing end-user demand steering in agricultural R&D: Farmer levy funding of R&D in The Netherlands," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 460-472, April.
    3. Salome A. Bukachi & Washington Onyango-Ouma & Jared Maaka Siso & Isaac K. Nyamongo & Joseph K. Mutai & Anna Karin Hurtig & Øystein Evjen Olsen & Jens Byskov, 2014. "Healthcare priority setting in Kenya: a gap analysis applying the accountability for reasonableness framework," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 342-361, October.
    4. Gallagher, Siun & Little, Miles, 2019. "Procedural justice and the individual participant in priority setting: Doctors' experiences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 75-84.
    5. Man Hung & Amir Mohajeri & Jody Chiang & Jungweon Park & Beatrice Bautista & Chase Hardy & Martin S. Lipsky, 2023. "Community Water Fluoridation in Focus: A Comprehensive Look at Fluoridation Levels across America," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(23), pages 1-11, November.
    6. Axel C. Mühlbacher & John F. P. Bridges & Susanne Bethge & Ch.-Markos Dintsios & Anja Schwalm & Andreas Gerber-Grote & Matthias Nübling, 2017. "Preferences for antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis C: a discrete choice experiment," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 18(2), pages 155-165, March.
    7. Armstrong, Kristy & Mitton, Craig & Carleton, Bruce & Shoveller, Jean, 2008. "Drug formulary decision-making in two regional health authorities in British Columbia, Canada," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(2-3), pages 308-316, December.
    8. Rosenberg-Yunger, Zahava R.S. & Thorsteinsdóttir, Halla & Daar, Abdallah S. & Martin, Douglas K., 2012. "Stakeholder involvement in expensive drug recommendation decisions: An international perspective," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(2), pages 226-235.
    9. Janeth Marwa & Mesia Lufingo & Chicgoua Noubactep & Revocatus Machunda, 2018. "Defeating Fluorosis in the East African Rift Valley: Transforming the Kilimanjaro into a Rainwater Harvesting Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, November.
    10. Pivik, Jayne & Rode, Elisabeth & Ward, Christopher, 2004. "A consumer involvement model for health technology assessment in Canada," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 253-268, August.
    11. Neale Smith & Craig Mitton & Mary-Ann Hiltz & Matthew Campbell & Laura Dowling & J. Fergall Magee & Shashi Ashok Gujar, 2016. "A Qualitative Evaluation of Program Budgeting and Marginal Analysis in a Canadian Pediatric Tertiary Care Institution," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 559-568, October.
    12. Reeleder, David & Goel, Vivek & Singer, Peter A. & Martin, Douglas K., 2006. "Leadership and priority setting: The perspective of hospital CEOs," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(1), pages 24-34, November.
    13. Gallego, Gisselle & Taylor, Susan Joyce & Brien, Jo-anne Elizabeth, 2007. "Priority setting for high cost medications (HCMs) in public hospitals in Australia: A case study," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 58-66, November.
    14. de Bont, Antoinette & Zandwijken, Gladys & Stolk, Elly & Niessen, Louis, 2007. "Prioritisation by physicians in the Netherlands--The growth hormone example in drug reimbursement decisions," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 369-377, March.
    15. Gibson, Jennifer L. & Martin, Douglas K. & Singer, Peter A., 2005. "Priority setting in hospitals: Fairness, inclusiveness, and the problem of institutional power differences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(11), pages 2355-2362, December.
    16. Sinclair, Shane & Hagen, Neil A. & Chambers, Carole & Manns, Braden & Simon, Anita & Browman, George P., 2008. "Accounting for reasonableness: Exploring the personal internal framework affecting decisions about cancer drug funding," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(2-3), pages 381-390, May.
    17. Maluka, Stephen & Kamuzora, Peter & Sebastiån, Miguel San & Byskov, Jens & Olsen, Øystein E. & Shayo, Elizabeth & Ndawi, Benedict & Hurtig, Anna-Karin, 2010. "Decentralized health care priority-setting in Tanzania: Evaluating against the accountability for reasonableness framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(4), pages 751-759, August.
    18. Razavi, S. Donya & Kapiriri, Lydia & Wilson, Michael & Abelson, Julia, 2020. "Applying priority-setting frameworks: A review of public and vulnerable populations’ participation in health-system priority setting," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 133-142.
    19. Banu Preethi Gopu & Liane B. Azevedo & Ralph M. Duckworth & Murali K. P. Subramanian & Sherley John & Fatemeh Vida Zohoori, 2022. "The Relationship between Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes from Gestation to Adulthood—A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-13, December.
    20. Regier, Dean A. & Bentley, Colene & Mitton, Craig & Bryan, Stirling & Burgess, Michael M. & Chesney, Ellen & Coldman, Andy & Gibson, Jennifer & Hoch, Jeffrey & Rahman, Syed & Sabharwal, Mona & Sawka, , 2014. "Public engagement in priority-setting: Results from a pan-Canadian survey of decision-makers in cancer control," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 130-139.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:5:p:2372-:d:508108. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.