Learn about important events, scientific breakthroughs, and publications starting in 1945.
Testing NIH epidemiologist Trendley Dean's hypothesis that fluoridated drinking water could prevent dental caries, on January 25, the Public Health Service began treating the Grand Rapids, Michigan, supply. A long-term school-based caries examination program confirmed Dean's hypothesis. Among the most successful public health efforts in history, the Grand Rapids study bolstered the reputation of the soon-to-be established dental institute.