# Consistency of information on the provision of water fluoridation in Brazil

## TL;DR

This study found inconsistencies in data about water fluoridation in Brazilian municipalities, highlighting the need for better data collection.

## Contribution

The study identifies regional discrepancies in fluoridation data and emphasizes the importance of improving data reliability.

## Key findings

- 84% agreement between data sources, with a Kappa of 0.668 indicating substantial agreement.
- An average discrepancy of 8.1 percentage points in fluoridation provision estimates.
- The Northeast region showed the largest discrepancy of 21.4 percentage points.

## Abstract

This study aimed to assess the consistency of data regarding the provision of fluoridation in Brazilian municipalities with water supply systems.

Official data from the National Basic Sanitation Survey and the National Information System on Sanitation for 2017 were compared.

Out of 5,570 municipalities in Brazil, 4,546 (81.6%) had water supply systems. The agreement between data sources was 84%, with a Kappa of 0.668, indicating substantial agreement. However, the estimates of fluoridation provision exhibited an average discrepancy of 8.1 percentage points, ranging from 1.2 points in the Central-West region to 21.4 points in the Northeast region.

To address these inconsistencies, it is essential to enhance information sources, ensuring more reliable data for health, sanitation authorities, and society at large.