RFK Jr. confirmed as HHS secretary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 13 as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a final vote of 52-48.
The ADA said in a statement it stands ready to work with the new HHS Secretary and its leadership to find common ground and improve oral health nationwide. The Association said it will continue to promote evidence-based policymaking to address the country’s health challenges.
“The secretary’s Senate confirmation hearings have demonstrated that we must continue to educate public health leaders on utilizing credible scientific evidence. Public health measures like community water fluoridation must be guided by the highest standards of scientific rigor. The ADA remains committed to engaging in transparent, evidence-based dialogue to address concerns and dispel misperceptions about fluoride and other distortions of established facts,” according to the statement.
President Donald Trump chose Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, as his nominee in November 2024. Mr. Kennedy has said the Trump administration will push to stop adding fluoride to public drinking water and that fluoride is linked to various health problems, although the Trump administration has not confirmed this as a policy priority. The ADA continues to strongly support community water fluoridation as a safe and effective measure to prevent tooth decay and advocates for its continued implementation.
The statement said the Association is encouraged by Mr. Kennedy’s pursuit for nutritional changes that empower the country to adopt healthier diets. The ADA notes that significant associations between oral health status and a number of systemic diseases have been established, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Per ADA policy, the Association supports research, collaboration and appropriate treatment discussions between dentists and other health care providers to help identify systemic diseases that could have a relationship to a patient’s oral health.
The ADA emphasizes it has long advocated for calling out mistruths. It urged the Environmental Protection Agency to appeal a court ruling directing the agency to further regulate fluoridation, and was quoted in an InsideHealthPolicy article for standing firmly behind community water fluoridation and stating that Mr. Kennedy misrepresented the science behind the practice. However, the Association also stands ready to collaborate on common interests.
“The ADA’s priorities reflect our mission to improve access to care, integrate oral health into broader health care systems, and promote evidence-based approaches to the health challenges our country faces today,” according to the ADA statement.
