Residents' opinions on the introduction of water fluoridation program in the district of Namdong water treatment plant, Incheon Metropolitan City / 대한구강보건학회지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study details a survey taken to ascertain the residents' opinions on the introduction of a community water fluoridation program (WFP) at the water treatment plant in the district of Namdong, Incheon Metropolitan City. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted by a specialized institution and was based on a public opinion poll. The views of 1,000 adults who had lived in the district where tap water was supplied by the Namdong water treatment plant, Incheon were collected over a 1-year period. The dependent variable was the assent of the WFP. The independent variables were demographic and socioeconomic characteristics (sex, age, education, residence period, and income), awareness of WFP, drinking and cooking water, and decisional organization of WFP introduction. Statistical analysis was performed using chi-squared test with SPSS statistics 23.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Variables related to the approval of the WFP were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. One hundred and twenty-seven respondents who selected 'doesn't matter' were excluded. The significance level was set at α=0.05. RESULTS: The responses citing approval for the introduction of WFP comprised 58.7%, while the 'dissent' group accounted for 28.6%, and 12.7% stated that it does not matter. Respondents citing approval who were in the age group beyond fifties accounted for 66.0%; further, 67.6% of respondents aware of the WFP were in favor of the approval for WFP introduction. The decision to undertake water fluoridation was favored by the Regional Head and city council. There were no significant differences in the assent of WFP based on the respondents' sex, education level, job, and drinking and cooking water. The strongest correlation was observed between the awareness of WFP and the approval rate for WFP. CONCLUSIONS: To promote the introduction of WFP, active measures are required for educating people regarding effectiveness of caries prevention and safety of WFP.