Resumo

MARTINEZ, Érica Helena Sgroi; FRIAS, Antonio Carlos; MENDES, Haroldo José  e  OLYMPIO, Kelly Polido Kaneshiro. Per capita cost of fluoridating the public water supply in a large municipality. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) [online]. 2013, vol.61, n.4, pp. 549-556. ISSN 1981-8637.

Objective To estimate the per capita cost of fluoridating the municipal water supply of Sorocaba in 2009 and describe the costs from 1989 to 2008. Methods Sorocaba's Autonomous Water and Wastewater Service disclosed the initial capital required for implementing the water fluoridation system and the costs associated with the purchase of chemicals, system operation, and control of fluoride concentration. These numbers were added and divided by the municipal population with piped water. Results In 2009 the per capita cost was R$ 1.43 (US$ 0.72), and from 1989 to 2008 the estimated per capita cost ranged from R$ 1.19 to R$ 1.43 (US$ 0.59 to 0.72). Conclusion The per capita cost of water fluoridation is low, and when the fluoride concentration is kept at the recommended levels, it is an efficient, simple, and safe public policy for preventing dental caries. Knowing its cost allows comparisons and encourages its implementation.

Palavras-chave : Dental caries; Fluoridation; Water supply.