Debatten um die Trinkwasserfl uoridierung in der Schweiz am Beispiel von Basel-Stadt und Zürich seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg

The fl uoridation of drinking water was introduced in several cities in the United States from 1945 onward on a trial basis, which marked the beginning of fl uoride prophylaxis in dentistry. Following the American example, the Basel-City Parliament passed community water fl uoridation in 1959. In Zurich, salt fl uoridation was gradually introduced in the 1950s and 60s. In the following essay, the initial adoption of the American fl uoridation literature in the 1940s and 50s by Swiss authorities, the dental scientifi c community and the media is portrayed. Subsequently, the fl uoridation policies of the cantons Basel-City and Zurich from the 1950s until the abolishment of water fl uoridation in Basel in 2003, will be compared. The question as to why Basel-City and Zurich chose different universal fl uoridation methods will be answered by examining the role of the key players involved, their background and evidence.