Pathology

An epidemiologic study evaluates the rate of dental caries and tooth abscesses among children living in communities within a metropolitan area. Investigators discover that the rate is high among children living in an upper-middle-class community but low in children living in a community below the poverty level. The levels of trace elements in the water supplies for those communities are measured. A higher level of which of the following minerals in the water is most likely to be associated with a lower rate of dental decay among the children living in the poor community?