That might be a better indicator of which geographic areas have better health insurance/dental insurance. One county might have every employer giving its employees dental insurance, while the next county might not. People who have dental insurance have better teeth.
Also, since most people I know do not drink tap water, they all drink bottled water, then why would there be any correlation of tooth decay compared to which geographic areas floridate the water if most people living in any area, do not drink the water anyway?
One could easily make the claim, and prove it with statistics, that we have fewer cavities in america since so many people now drink unfloridated bottled water.
One could also make the claim, and prove it with statistics, that we have fewer cavities in america since so many people now have dental coverage, something that was rare prior to the 1960’s.
Both of “these claims” could make sense, but not floridation.
To say that floridated water is what is responsible while ignoring regular checkups with the dentist thru dental coverage, and to deny the correlation of reduced tooth decay in the past 30 years with the tremendous increase in people drinking unfloridated bottled water, is ridiculous.