MEXICO — A new certificate is hanging on the wall in the Water District office.

The Maine Center for Disease Control announced recently that it awarded Mexico a Water Fluoridation Quality certificate from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fluoridation is the adjustment of fluoride in the water to a level that is optimal for preventing tooth decay.

The award recognizes those communities that maintain a consistent level of optimally fluoridated water throughout 2011, Anne Young, administrator for the Mexico Water District, said Thursday afternoon.

She said the district tests its fluoridation daily to ensure it remains at the correct level to achieve optimum results and sends the results of its tests once a month to the CDC for review.

Young said the CDC certificates are awarded for the previous year’s findings.

The Mexico Water District is one of 48 systems in Maine to receive this award. Young said they received the award in 2010, too.

“It’s a nice recognition,” she said.

For 2011, 2,500 water systems in 33 states received these awards, which is a significant increase in the number of participating states and water systems that received awards in previous years, according to the Maine CDC news release.

“We are pleased that more states and communities than ever have achieved this measure of excellence in their water fluoridation programs,” Dr. William Bailey, acting director of the U.S. CDC Division of Oral Health, said.

“Community water fluoridation is one of the most effective means available for avoiding tooth decay, preventing at least 25 percent of tooth decay in children and adults.”

In the report, Maine CDC’s director, Dr. Sheila Pinette, noted the ability of water operators in Maine to keep fluoride levels “right where they need to be” for optimum benefits, and the demonstration of quality service to improve the overall health of people living in Maine communities.

Community water fluoridation has been recognized by the CDC as one of 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century.

Currently, nearly three-quarters (73.9 percent) — or 204 million people — served by community water systems have access to optimally fluoridated tap water, the report said.

CDC recommends water fluoridation as a safe, effective and inexpensive method of preventing decay. Every $1 invested in fluoridation saves at least $38 in costs for dental treatment, the report said.

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