The oral health survey and questionnaire was conducted for oral health behaviors and attitudes and caries prevalence of children in the community water fluoridation program (CWFP) and non-community water fluoridation program (non-CWFP) area in Geoje and Changwon. Factors related with the difference of dental caries incidence among children in CWFP and non-CWFP area were analyzed.
The surveyed children was 1,524 children residing in fluoridated area supplied from Gucheon water plant in Geoje and Daesan water plant in Changwon and 1,383 children residing in non-fluoridated area in Geoje and in Seongsan-gu and Euichang-gu, Changwon. The age of surveyed children was 8, 10 and 12 years. The questionnaires included the self-perception of their own dental health, daily frequency of toothbrushing, intake frequency of cariogenic sweet snacks and beverages, experience of gingival bleeding, experience of unmet required dental treatment and use of oral hygiene device except for toothbrush and toothpaste. All questionnaires was surveyed by self-recorded method. The caries prevalence and fissure-sealant status was surveyed by dental examination by 1 dentist taken the calibration training of the national oral health survey. The logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the difference of children’s oral health behaviors between the fluoridated and non-fluoridated area. After the adjustment of the difference of samples’ gender rate, region (Geoje and Changwon), mean number of sealed teeth and surfaces, the marginal means of DMFT scores and DMFS scores among children were compared between the fluoridated and non-fluoridated area.
1. The experience rate of unmet required dental treatments was 1.669 times higher among children aged 10 years in fluoridated area compared to non-fluoridated area.
2. Children eating cariogenic sweet snacks more than once a day in fluoridated area were 1.158 times and 1.303 times more among whole samples and 8-year olds, respectively, compared to non-fluoridated area.
3. Children drinking cariogenic sweet beverages more than once a day in fluoridated area were 1.220 times more among whole samples compared to non-fluoridated area.
4. Children who experienced professional fluoride application in fluoridated area were 0.411 times and 0.152 times less among whole samples and 10-year olds, respectively, compared to non-fluoridated area.
5. Mean number of fissure-sealed teeth was significantly lower among whole samples and 12-year olds, respectively, compared to non-fluoridated area.
6. The DMFT index of permanent dentition adjusted for the difference of gender, region (Geoje and Changwon), mean number of fissure-sealed teeth was significantly lower among whole samples and 8-, 10-, and 12-year olds, respectively, compared to non-fluoridated area.
It is confirmed that community water fluoridation program can alleviate the oral health inequality because it is effective in reducing the dental caries incidence among children disadvantaged conditions such as demographic, socioeconomic and cultural contexts.

Key Words: Dental caries, Fluoride, Water fluoridation, Oral health inequality, DMFT, Fissure-sealant