Posted on 04/23/2025 1:07:45 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Here's what you need to know about this hot button topic.
Key Points:
-Political controversy has stoked new conversations around the fluoridation of water and whether the mineral is safe to consume.
-Water fluoridation, or the practice of adding fluoride to sources of drinking water, has been credited as one of the greatest public health innovations of the 20th century and helps protect tooth enamel and prevent cavities.
-Dental experts and research say that water fluoridation provides vital dental support for communities, is proven to reduce rates of tooth decay, and is safe when kept at recommended concentrations. Although the addition of fluoride to drinking water has been credited for protecting the dental health of millions of Americans, it has also been a topic of controversy for decades, and the debate has recently been reignited.
United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has clearly expressed his opposition to water fluoridation. Recently, Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water, and late last year, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued public guidance advising communities against fluoridating their water.
While some celebrate it as a public health triumph, others question the safety and necessity of adding fluoride to drinking water. Let's explore what fluoride is, its history in water fluoridation, and what current research reveals about its implications for our health.
What is fluoride?
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in soil, water, and certain foods. It is best known for its ability to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities. When fluoride is applied to teeth, it helps rebuild enamel and may reverse early signs of tooth decay.
According to the CDC, “Almost all water contains some naturally occurring fluoride, but usually at levels too low to prevent cavities.” Due to its potential benefits for dental health, fluoride has been widely added to dental products such as toothpaste and mouthwash, as well as to public water supplies.
Why is fluoride added to water in the United States? The practice of adding fluoride to drinking water began in 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, when researchers embarked on a project to determine if water fluoridation would effectively reduce the rate of tooth decay among local children. The results were clear: Kids born after fluoride was introduced to the water supply experienced a 60% reduction in their rate of tooth decay. (Today, it's estimated that water fluoridation lessens your risk of cavities by about 25%.)
These findings made the research a remarkable success, and fluoridation became widespread across the United States in the following decades. The CDC has previously recognized community water fluoridation as "one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century." By increasing the accessibility of fluoride, public health officials have observed significant improvements in dental health, particularly in communities with limited access to professional dental care.
However, water fluoridation has its opponents. Criticism of the practice has existed since its inception, and the debate over whether consuming fluoride is safe, as well as whether communities should have access to water without it, continues into 2025.
How does fluoride improve your dental health?
Fluoride strengthens your tooth enamel and ultimately helps prevent cavities. According to the CDC, “Studies continue to show that widespread community water fluoridation prevents cavities and saves money, both for families and the health care system. Drinking fluoridated water keeps teeth strong and reduces cavities by about 25% in children and adults.”
Dr. Lauren Becker, DDS, PC, owner and general dentist of her namesake dentistry practice in New York City, explains further, telling Food & Wine that “Fluoride acts as a dental barrier between teeth and helps keep the teeth strong during everyday use like chewing, drinking, and eating.” She adds, “Fluoride creates a shield so that the tooth is protected from potential bacteria, plaque, and overall buildup from occurring.”
Is fluoride in water safe?
Opponents of water fluoridation, including RFK Jr., have raised concerns that the mineral is linked to various health and developmental issues, such as cancer, weakened bones, and declines in IQ. But is there any merit to their claims?
A little background information is helpful here. To maximize the benefits of this mineral in water systems, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 milligrams per liter (mg/L) in drinking water, which is considered optimal for preventing tooth decay while minimizing potential side effects.
In 2024 the National Toxicology Program (NTP) published a systematic review of research surrounding the connection between fluoride and cognitive development. This study did discover that higher levels of fluoride, such as those found in drinking water with more than 1.5 mg/L of fluoride, “are associated with lower IQ in children.”
A level of fluoride greater than 1.5 mg/L would exceed the guidelines for drinking water set by the World Health Organization and could lead to issues such as dental fluorosis — a cosmetic issue that causes discoloration of tooth enamel — or, more concerningly, skeletal fluorosis — a bone disorder.
The NTP notes that “There were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children’s IQ,” and it “found no evidence that fluoride exposure had adverse effects on adult cognition.”
These findings suggest that further research is necessary to gain a clearer understanding of the connection between lower levels of fluoride (like those found in water supplies) and IQ.
Per Becker, beyond cognitive development, “There are speculations that fluoride in our drinking water may cause alternative health issues like thyroid problems or impact bone health. However, this is not scientifically backed.” The dental professional explains, “It's true that overexposure to fluoride has the potential to create other issues, but this is unlikely to occur from the safe amounts in drinking water.”
Finally, a majority of health resources, including the American Cancer Society and City of Hope — a nonprofit clinical research center for cancer — note that there is no clear or conclusive link between fluoride and cancer.
How much fluoride is in my water?
Want to ensure your drinking water has an appropriate level of fluoridation? To check the fluoride levels in your community's water supply, the CDC offers a helpful tool called My Water's Fluoride. This online resource allows users to verify if their local water is fluoridated and at what concentration.
Can removing fluoride from water cause harm?
Calgary, Canada, presents a relatively recent example of what can happen if a community decides to remove fluoride from its water.
After eliminating the mineral from its water supply in 2011, the city observed a significant increase in tooth decay and related issues — particularly among children — when compared to another major city in its province that had continued water fluoridation.
As a result, Calgary voted to reinstate water fluoridation in 2021 in response to the increase in tooth decay, although the mineral has not yet been successfully reintroduced.
What are the long term impacts of fluoride?
Supporting the strength of your teeth isn’t just about achieving a picture-perfect smile. Dental health can impact overall health, quality of life, and financial well-being.
If left untreated, tooth decay can lead to pain, infections, and even tooth loss, potentially affecting daily activities such as eating or speaking. Furthermore, the economic burden associated with dental issues can be substantial, as fillings, root canals, and extractions often incur high costs for individuals and healthcare systems.
Why Drinking Bottled Water Can Be Much Worse for You Than Tap, According to New Research
Per the CDC, “Communities of 1,000 or more people see an average estimated return on investment (ROI) of $20 for every $1 spent on water fluoridation. The ROI for community water fluoridation increases as the community size increases, but even small communities save money.” Adults and children are also likely to miss fewer days of work or school for dental appointments.
Although more research is welcome and needed, as the facts stand, dental experts and scientists have made it clear that water fluoridation benefits both your teeth and the community, as long as it is maintained within recommended levels.
How many Covid jabs did you get?
I think what you are getting at is that Republicans used to trust big corporations and Democrats were more likely to be skeptical of them. Now it has reversed, and many on the right side no longer trust big business. That may or may not be valid, but there you are.
mRNA shots were also supposed to be safe and effective…
Okay, I will look it up. I had just not heard him mention it before. The funny thing is, I had always heard that the anti-fluoride movement came from the right.
Is that the only issue?
I’ve heard from dentists that it is not useful to the teeth after childhood and is demonstrably harmful to adults in studies.
What about about processed and highly-processed foods? Even though we have many, many studies showing the how these foods impact of these on health, so you think people who want to limit the amount of processed foods they eat are evil or kooks?
If anything, flouride should only be applied topically to the teeth.
Had it all my life. 141.
What could have been...
Well its not dangerous to us because we filter it out through our Berkey waterfilter.
They never defend “Big Corp” (well, except Pharm when they wanted the shots).
Things are very complex and yet simple, in an “open” society. Of course US goes for the cheapest. It’s not nefarious, it’s just making things more accessible for the most people - and then that gets pissed on by everyone as also being evil.
Tired of the communist arguments.
In truth, we are fascist - so many rules mandated on everyone, including “evil corp” that force some of these things. Sugar subsidies e.g. Dems largely make rules on everything even ordinary people do, and that is the definition of fascist. They do it because they don’t have full communist control yet.
So, the answer to your question is that something, somewhere, and likely a whole bunch of rules, made those corps survive by resorting to using things you think are bad (even if that’s not true). We are not as free as we should be. If we were, maybe things would be more to your liking.
Fluoride 1996 Nov 29(4): 190-192
Effect of a High Fluoride Water Supply on Children’s Intelligence
Zhao LB, Liang GH, Zhang DN, Wu XR
Lu-Liang Public Health Bureau, Shanxi 033000, China.
In Shanxi Province, China, children living in the endemic fluoride village of Sima (water supply F = 4.12 mg/L) located near Xiaoyi City had average IQ (97.69) significantly lower (p < 0.02) than children living to the north in the nonendemic village of Xinghua (F = 0.91 mg/L; average IQ = 105.21). These differences were not associated with gender, but the IQ scores were directly related to educational level of the parents.
Fluoride 2003; 36(2): 84-94
Effect of fluoride in drinking water on children’s intelligence.
Q Xiang (a), Y Liang (a), L Chen (b), C Wang (b), B Chen (a), X Chen (b), M Zhou (c)
(a) Department of Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University (Formerly Shanghai Medical University), Shanghai, 200032, China.
(b) Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Province, China.
(c) Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, China.
SUMMARY: The Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was measured in 512 children, aged 8-13 years, sliving in two villages in Sihong County, Jiangsu Province, China, differing in the level of fluoride in their drinking water. In the high-fluoride village of Wamiao (water-fluoride: 2.47+0.79 mg/L; range: 0.57-4.50 mg/L), the mean IQ of 222 children was significantly lower (92.02=13.00; range: 54-126) than in the low-fluoride village of Xinhuai (water fluoride: 0.36+0.15 mg/L; range: 0.18-0.76 mg/L), where the mean IQ of 290 children was higher (100.41+13.21; range 60-128). The children’s IQs were not related to urinary iodine, family income, or parent’s education level. Higher drinking water fluoride levels were significantly associated with higher rates of mental retardation (IQ <70) and borderline intelligence (IQ 70-79). The Benchmark Concentration (BMC) for the concentration-response relationship between IQ confidence limit (BMCL) of the BMC was 1.85 mg/L. Taking dental fluorosis and other sources of dietary fluoride into account, the reference value concentration (RfC) for fluoride was calculated to be 0.925 mg/L, which is very close to the current national Chinese standard of <1.0 mg/L. In endemic fluorosis areas, drinking water fluoride levels greater than 1.0 mg/L may adversely affect the development of children’s intelligence.
These are the same kind of ‘scientiests’ who said if you got the shot you wouldn’t get COVID
Liberal liars.
Why is communist to be a patriot?
I chew on xylitol gum. the xylitol protects my teeth from tooth decay and even improves the teeth a bit.
xylitol is the active ingredient in birch bark that indians chewed on back in the great bye and bye.
Yes I don’t like the rushed COVID vaccines (pushed by a certain someone). Biology should not be rushed, so I don’t trust them. 2nd, COVID was not proven to be a huge killer, so the importance was dubious anyway. Everyone acted so stupidly and tyrannically in those years, without any thoughtfulness, so it really should not have been activated in that insane environment anyway.
💯
What does fluoride have to do with patriotism?
The communism is the hand-wring accusatory arguments against “evil corporations”. It happens, but it’s because they are people - some are good, some bad, many waver. Communists routinely demonize capitalist entities, which includes of course, those corps.
(I don’t even think “BigPharma” is evil - yet FR turned on them big time just because of COVID and got to sounding more like the thing they say they despise.)
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