fluoridation
4
5.8
- noun
- /ˌflʊəˈrɪdeɪʃən/
- Specialized
- The fluoridation process involves adding fluoride to the water supply to help prevent tooth decay.
- water fluoridation
Examples
-
The fluoridation of drinking water can significantly reduce the occurrence of cavities in children.
-
In Pelotas, Brazil, a medium-sized city in the south of Brazil, a water fluoridation scheme had been implemented in 1962 that covered almost all the urban population.
Academic text (2011) -
Have you ever heard of fluoridation of water?
-
You know when fluoridation first began?
-
There is a lot of very good information on fluoridation on this site.
Blog text (7) -
Or that 95 percent of Americans favor fluoridation of their water supply.
Blog text (5) -
FDA policies have absolutely nothing to do with community water fluoridation.
Blog text (6) -
I am proud of our town for choosing to reject fluoridation as a medication for healthy teeth, with added economic concerns.
Blog text (34) -
The Wichita City Council voted for democracy by allowing people to vote on fluoridation.
Blog text (34) -
The CDC touts fluoridation of public water supplies as one of the 10 best health innovations of recent times.
Blog text (7)
Synonyms
Adding a small amount of a chemical to drinking water to help prevent tooth decay
Surface Forms
Morphology
fluoridation = fluoridate (transparent) = fluoride + ate + ion
The noun is a regular nominalization of the verb 'fluoridate' (verb from 'fluoride'), so the meaning 'process of adding fluoride' is directly derived.
Etymology
Fluoridation comes from fluoride (the chemical added to water) and the ending -ation meaning 'a process'. Fluoride comes from an old Latin root fluor- meaning 'to flow', like fluid, so thinking of 'adding a flowing chemical to water' helps you remember that fluoridation is the process of putting fluoride into water to reduce tooth decay.