Fluoridation and the private practice of dentistry.

Water fluoridation holds an important place in the history of Grand Rapids. This paper recounts the firsthand professional experiences of a dentist before and after he joined his father's established dental practice in Grand Rapids, only two years after fluoridation of the city's water supply began. The benefits of water fluoridation are documented through a review of office records. The prevalence of dental caries in patients who were born in Grand Rapids after water fluoridation began is low, and no case of a missing first permanent molar was found. Quadrant dentistry is no longer practiced. Children of parents born in Grand Rapids after the start of water fluoridation experience less decay than their parents, suggesting that factors in addition to water fluoridation have played a role in the downward trends in caries. The complete destruction of mouths of patients seen in this practice 50 years ago no longer happens, providing evidence of the benefits of water fluoridation, the most important advance ever in dentistry.