{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T06:12:05Z","timestamp":1778825525404,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":92,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778803200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oral Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>As part of the Fluoride Across the World effort, this manuscript aims to examine the history, current programs, challenges, and future directions of fluoridation initiatives in Chile. This analysis describes the evolution of fluoridation practices, including early adoption, the various fluoride programs and delivery methods implemented, community engagement efforts, and the challenges of implementation. Key milestones in governmental policies and health organization efforts will also be discussed. The primary objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of oral health fluoride policies and programs implemented in Chile. The study highlights the historical significance of the adoption of water fluoridation in Chile, beginning in the 1950s, and its expansion, driven by government support, leading to its widespread implementation. Current fluoridation initiatives, including water, and milk, are described. The paper underscores the importance of fluoridation as a public health strategy for preventing dental caries and promoting oral health. It identifies ongoing challenges and suggests future directions, including the integration of new technologies to support community education and monitoring, thereby contributing to the discourse on fluoride's role in public health policy. Fluorides, particularly in the context of water and health, can be linked to several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Within this background, the review identifies ongoing challenges such as public misinformation and regulatory inconsistencies that obstruct the effective maintenance and implementation of fluoridation programs. Thus, this analysis would be relevant for policymakers and public health practitioners as it provides valuable insights and suggests future directions aimed at improving oral health outcomes through effective fluoridation strategies, ultimately enhancing community health and wellbeing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/froh.2026.1844295","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]],"date-time":"2026-05-15T05:44:10Z","timestamp":1778823850000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Fluoridation in Chile: historical context, current programs, challenges, and future directions"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"7","author":[{"given":"Rodrigo","family":"Mari\u00f1o","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Melbourne Dental School, The University of Melbourne","place":["Melbourne, VIC, Australia"]},{"name":"Center for Research in Epidemiology, Economics and Oral Public Health (CIEESPO), Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de La Frontera","place":["Temuco, Chile"]},{"name":"Monash Health, Dental Services, Monash Health Dental Services","place":["Melbourne, VIC, Australia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Melisa","family":"M\u00fcnzenmayer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne","place":["Melbourne, VIC, Australia"]},{"name":"Instituto de Salud P\u00fablica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Austral de Chile","place":["Valdivia, Chile"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlos","family":"Zaror","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Research in Epidemiology, Economics and Oral Public Health (CIEESPO), Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de La Frontera","place":["Temuco, Chile"]},{"name":"Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Universidad de La Frontera","place":["Temuco, Chile"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Review of the Evidence","year":"1990"},{"key":"B2","volume-title":"The Story of Fluoridation","year":"2024"},{"key":"B3","volume-title":"Community Water Fluoridation. 2022 Water Fluoridation Statistics","year":"2024"},{"key":"B4","year":""},{"key":"B5","volume-title":"Global Status Report on Oral Health\u202f2022","year":"2022"},{"key":"B6","first-page":"933","article-title":"Fluoridation of public drinking water to prevent dental caries","volume":"48","year":"1999","journal-title":"Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"B7","volume-title":"Milk Fluoridation for the Prevention of Dental Caries","author":"Banoczy","year":"2009"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"115","DOI":"10.1186\/s12903-020-01100-y","article-title":"Economic evaluations in water-fluoridation: a scoping review","volume":"20","author":"Mari\u00f1o","year":"2020","journal-title":"BMC Oral Health"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"CD010856","DOI":"10.1002\/14651858.CD010856.pub2","article-title":"Water fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries","volume":"2015","author":"Iheozor-Ejiofor","year":"2015","journal-title":"Cochrane Database Syst Rev"},{"key":"B10","volume-title":"Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the Community","author":"Burt","year":"2005"},{"key":"B11","first-page":"1","article-title":"Recommendations for using fluoride to prevent and control dental caries in the United States","volume":"50","year":"2001","journal-title":"Morb Mortal Wkly Rep"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1034\/j.1600-0528.2000.028005321.x","article-title":"Decision-making for national programs of community fluoride use","volume":"28","author":"Horowitz","year":"2000","journal-title":"Community Dent Oral Epidemiol"},{"key":"B13","year":""},{"key":"B14","first-page":"287","article-title":"Should we use milk fluoridation? 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