fluoridation

[floo r-i-dey-shuh n, flawr-, flohr-]

noun

the addition of fluorides to the public water supply to reduce the incidence of tooth decay.

Origin of fluoridation

First recorded in 1900–05; fluoride + -ation

Related formsan·ti·fluor·i·da·tion, noun, adjectivede·fluor·i·da·tion, noun

Can be confusedfluorescent fluoridation fluoride

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fluoridation

Contemporary Examples of fluoridation

Have you looked around the American Dental Association website for an explanation of how fluoridation actually works?
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
Throughout the fifties, in city after city, fluoridation became the subject of fierce debate.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016
The story of fluoridation reads like a postmodern fable, and the moral is clear: a scientific discovery might seem like a boon.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers
Michael Schulson
July 27, 2016

British Dictionary definitions for fluoridation

fluoridation

noun

the addition of about one part per million of fluorides to the public water supply as a protection against tooth decay

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fluoridation

1904, from fluoride + -ation. In reference to adding traces of fluoride to drinking water as a public health policy, from 1949.

fluoridation in Medicine

fluoridation

[flur′ĭ-dā′shən, flôr′-]

n.

The addition of a fluorine compound to drinking water for the purpose of reducing tooth decay.

Related formsfluor′i•date′ v.