Abstract
To assess the current status of health policies for fluoride use at the local government level in Japan, we carried out a national level mailed questionnaire survey in January, 2005. The targeted recipients were prefectures, major cities, and special wards throughout Japan. The main questionnaire items were concerned target values, programs, and educational materials about fluoride use in each municipality. Officials of departments which were in charge of dental health answered this questionnaire. The response rate was 98% (46/47) among prefectures and 94% (75/80) among other municipalities. Eighty-three percent of prefectures and 55% of other municipalities had target values for fluoride use. Seventy percent of prefectures and 77% of other municipalities had implemented health programs involving fluoride use. Sixty-one percent of prefectures and 25% of other municipalities had some form of guidelines regarding fluoride use. Fifty-seven percent of prefectures and 40% of other municipalities published educational materials regarding fluoride use. These results indicated that national fluoride use policies contributed to promoting fluoride use at the level of local government in Japan. However, fluoride use in Japan has not yet become well established. Therefore, further efforts are needed to promote its use.
