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.
None.
Yes, in general.
Which means suddenly we’ve done a flip-flop again, in the space of a few years.
Why, oh why, would that be?
I understood that the public waters are laced with sodium floride which is a industrial waste and not good for the body...it is a byproduct of aluminum manufacturing.
Versus calcium floride which is a naturally occurring ptoduct.
How again?
I’ve kept my common sense.
Too many geniuses in my family have zero sense.
Pretty damn obvious Fluoride damages your brain,
look at how many of our large cites are filled with Democrats( city Fluoridated water)
compared to rural well water people.
ARTICLE
Study: Fluoride Harmful to Pregnant Women, Infants
By Lynn C. Allison
Apr 15, 2025 |
https://fluoridealert.org/news/study-fluoride-harmful-to-pregnant-women-infants/
“A new meta-analysis found that fluoride can have a detrimental effect on the health of pregnant women, the fetus, and infants.
The analysis reviewed multiple studies observing the impact of fluoride exposure on pregnant women and infants. It was found that high levels of fluoride can lead to adverse developmental outcomes, including decreased IQ and cognitive impairments in children. The findings suggest the need for reconsideration of fluoride levels in drinking water and dental products to safeguard maternal and infant health.
According to the study, published in the Annual Review of Public Health, systemic fluoride exposure can also have a detrimental effect on bone strength, cognitive development and thyroid function. Study author Phillipe Grandjean, from the University of Southern Denmark, is a leading researcher on fluoride toxicity. Grandjean participated in the latest meta-analysis and has long warned about the dangers of this mineral either from community drinking water or in toothpaste.
“The weight of epidemiological evidence leaves no reasonable doubt that developmental neurotoxicity is a serious human health risk associated with elevated fluoride exposure, including those occurring at the levels added to drinking water in fluoridated areas. The IQ losses associated with community water fluoridation are substantial and of significant public health concern,” he has stated, according to the Fluoride Action Network.
According to the New York Times, the greatest benefit of fluoride is that it improves children’s oral health and prevents tooth decay that can cause loss of teeth. Research also suggests that water fluoridation is associated with a 27% decline in adult cavities, too. This reduction can lower the risk of heart disease, say experts.
The concerns about the negative effect of fluoride on our health is directly linked to exposure. Most water supplies in the U.S. contain 0.7 milligrams per liter, the limit set by the U.S. Public Health Service. But 5% of systems have levels that are double that amount and 0.3% have more than four milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, says the Times.
In 2019, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics found that fluoride exposure during pregnancy was associated with lower IQ scores in children aged three to four years. The researchers suggested that there is a “possible need to reduce fluoride intake during pregnancy.”
(Excerpt)
You just said it.
Dems always think no one should be rich and rich is evil and poor is a virtue.
Not that having a business means “rich”, but that’s the way Dems often paint even the Korean couple holding down the fort in Baltimore on a street corner with iron bars.
Dems think government somehow will be perfect despite those same humans running things.
They love anything that shakes down others for money, including unions, which think they have a right to walk out of work, get paid more for doing less, etc.
Dems still think this - though obviously most corps will follow THEIR beliefs of BLM and LGBT etc. But increasingly, so does a segment of what is supposed to be conservatism (conserving the greatness of the USA per its Constitution and Founding, revolutionary principles).
Billionaires and large corporations support wokeness and punitive economic laws, so now the left loves them.
Per Walter Peck
Once a the public is purposefully exposed to a substance, for examply for public safety, the incentive is to cease all testing for safety is extinguished, in order to manage risk, i.e. avoid liability for unforseen but foreseeable consequences. So tell me if I'm wrong - this study finding a .7 mg/mgl is about 50 years old.
This article is extremely misleading out of the gate.
Calcium Fluoride is a natural mineral found in soil and water. Its benefits are discussable. But this natural form is not what is added to municipal water.
Sodium Fluoride is what is added to water. Its harms have been studied and documented.
It is worth a web search to gain knowledge.
I hope my 10 year old Berkey purchased just for this reason actually filters it out.
Speaking of which, anyone tried the Boroux black filters ye
I have been suspecting the increase in mental disorders is related to the water supply.
The new thing they are pushing in water supplies are chloramides, which as I understand it as a non chemist, is Chlorine but less likely to brake down and also more potent.
Most filters on the market will not filter this out, and even some bottled water has is. Costco’s water does if I am remembering correctly.
Stop lying...Kennedy is not anti-vaccine, and you know it
Thank you, I wondered when someone would bring that up.
I’m less interested in the question of whether fluoride in drinking water is causing a rise in autism, and FAR more interested in another RFK Jr claim:
- that due to corruption in government, academia and the media, dissenting scientific voices are being suppressed to protect the profits of Big Pharma and Big Food - that we are being deceived.
Witnessing with my own eyes the rampant corruption in so many areas of government - I don’t doubt for a minute that it is true in industries affecting our health.
There is a revolving door between government agencies and the industries they are supposed to be regulating. Government grants corrupt scientific research institutions. Lobbyists bribe politicians. The media are paid whores.
RFK Jr. promised to use his clout as HHS chief to end the corruption and conflicts of interest - end the suppression of dissenting voices an d the media shilling for Big Pharma - allow actual scientific debate.
As for fluoride in the water being bad - or there being poison in our food - it may or may not be true - let the science be heard and let the chips fall where they may.
Bottom line: I don’t want RFK Jr. banning all sorts of things - but that’s not what I hear him saying - what he said on the campaign trail is that dissenting voices are being suppressed and policy does not reflect the true science - he wants to fix that.
That’s what I support - not banning a bunch of stuff.
“The U.S. is allegedly a wealthier country than Mexico, but a U.S. company, Coke (Although the others too), sells a cheaper, inferior version of their product in the U.S., compared to Mexico, why is that?”
Tariffs.
Some people have bipolar disorder and require lithium. Does that mean everyone should receive a dose of lithium in the water they drink?
If you believe fluoride prevents tooth decay, you are free to purchase fluoridated toothpaste.
Why does everyone have to be flouridated because you like it?
It was in the water in the 60s in CA where I grew up as a child.
Left when I was 11. In Ark I don’t think we had it in water.
I don’t think it is fair to call Kennedy an anti vaccine look. He does not oppose all vaccines nor does he advocate for making them illegal afaik
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