RFK Jr. to tell CDC to change fluoride guidelines

ADA reaffirms support of practice

The ADA is reaffirming its support of community water fluoridation amid reports that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending the practice. 

According to the Associated Press, Mr. Kennedy, the secretary of Health and Human Services, said he is currently assembling a task force of health experts to study the issue and make new recommendations. Additionally, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency will “expeditiously” review new scientific information on potential health risks of fluoride in drinking water.

ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S., said in a news release that the ADA relies on evidence-based research to improve the oral health of the public and looks forward to meeting with the EPA to develop a comprehensive study on fluoride. 

“As dentists, we see the direct consequences fluoride removal has on our patients and it’s a real tragedy when policymakers’ decisions hurt vulnerable kids and adults in the long term. Blindly calling for a ban on fluoridated water hurts people, costs money, and will ultimately harm our economy,” Dr. Kessler said. 

This move comes after Utah became the first state to ban community water fluoridation, despite opposition from dentists and health organizations like the ADA. Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill into law March 27, and water systems in the state must stop fluoridation by May 7. Mr. Kennedy praised Utah for becoming “the leader in making America healthy again.”

The White House issued a statement April 8 that reports characterizing the Trump administration as anti-science and anti-health “couldn’t be farther from the truth” and includes a list of claims about fluoride, which the ADA has called misleading.

For example, the statement cited a report from the National Toxicology Program concluding “with moderate confidence” that higher levels of fluoride, or >1.5 mg/L, are linked to lowered IQ in children. The statement did not mention that in the report the authors acknowledge their findings do not pertain to the practice of fluoridation in the U.S. and Canada, which use 0.7 mg/L.

Dr. Kessler urged policymakers to review research that looks at countries with fluoridation levels similar to the U.S., such as Australia. A recent study from the University of Queensland, for instance, found that fluoride in the water did not have any measurable effect on cognitive neurodevelopment or IQ scores in children.