In a move likely to lead more dental practices to open in the respective states, Utah and Florida this year became the first two states in the country to ban the process of fluoridation in their water systems.
Despite concerns voiced by dentists and public health advocates, Florida passed a ban on fluoride on May 15, following Utah, which made the decision in late March, according to NBC.
Fluoride has, for more than sixty years, been used in public water supplies at extremely low levels to improve dental health and prevent tooth decay in the majority of American communities. Exposure to fluoride restores minerals lost during normal wear and tear.
The Centers for Disease Control reported that fluoridation of water reduces tooth decay by about 25% in the public population, saving money for families and the overall health care system. The CDC named community water fluoridation one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.
While the Associated Press reported that Utah and Florida have banned fluoride in public drinking water, Ohio and South Carolina are also considering removing it, while New Hampshire, North Dakota and Tennessee have turned down efforts to impose similar policies.
In Connecticut, leaders are working to ensure the state’s water supply retains its current levels of fluoride. Last week, the state Senate advanced S.B. 7, Senate Democrats’ flagship public health legislation, that would preserve fluoridation levels at a recommended .7 milligrams per liter.
In 2024, a court case saw a federal judge order the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate fluoride in drinking water in response to studies suggesting that very high levels of fluoride in water could be detrimental to children.
However, those studies were based on fluoridation levels more than twice the recommended level and there are no findings suggesting the 0.7 mg/l level has any negative impact on human health. Those studies were also flagged for largely focusing on children in countries including China and India instead of the United States, with significant differences in demographics and outcome noted.
In fact, more than 250 organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the Connecticut Society of Pediatric Dentists signed a letter to federal leaders in April expressing caution over federal studies of safe fluoride levels in drinking water. They noted recent discourse is “based on incomplete information and interpretation of studies that have limitations undermining their usefulness.”
With some states pursuing the cessation of fluoride in public water and others retaining the process, the United States has a chance to see if future comparisons between communities is similar to that of Calgary and Edmonton, Canada. Calgary ended fluoride in water supplies in 2011, while Edmonton retained fluoride; about fifteen years later, Calgary sees 65% of children experience tooth decay, while Edmonton has about 55% of children experience tooth decay.
