Bottled, Filtered or Tap? Implications for Fluoridated Water Exposure

Media attention has recently focused on the environmental impact of the growing use of drinking water in non-recyclable bottles. Some reports indicate that bottled water use is higher among Hispanic than Non-Hispanic populations. Much of the water consumed this way is not optimally fluoridated for dental health.

Objectives: To assess sources of drinking water for children in low-income, minority populations at risk for high caries rates.

Methods: As part of the UCSF Center to Address Disparities in Children's Oral Health, studies pertaining to early childhood caries were conducted in several low-income, primarily Hispanic, California populations in fluoridated (F) and non-F communities in San Francisco's Mission neighborhood (F), Oakland (F), San Jose (non-F areas), and rural Mendota (Non-F). Questions about sources of drinking water were asked as part of questionnaires or interviews being administered to parents of young children in other research projects.

Results: In rural Mendota, 97% of 313 adults surveyed reported buying filtered water from commercial water mills or kiosks. In San Francisco, 68% (of 183) parents of Head Start children, and 63% of parents surveyed at the San Francisco General Family Health Center were giving their children bottled water as the main water source. In Oakland, 23% and 41% of 110 parents of Head Start children used bottled or filtered water, respectively. The majority of the 65 caregivers interviewed in-depth in both Mendota and San Jose bought bottled or commercial water for their children and many in Mendota thought the water was unsafe.

Conclusions: These urban and rural low-income Hispanic parents reveal a pattern of buying bottled or filtered water instead of using tap water. In both F and non-F communities, interventions are needed to increase exposure to F water to promote dental health.

Supported by NIH/NIDCR U54DE14251.