Florida is the second state to remove the mineral fluoride from its water supply, after UtahThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control considered fluoride in public water a great health achievement that prevents tooth decay in all children, regardless of socioeconomic status Calgary, Alberta voted to add fluoride back into its water after the rate of tooth decay dramatically increased
Following Utah’s statewide ban on fluoride in its public water system, Florida’s state legislature has voted to remove fluoride from its water. The bill next goes to Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to sign it into law.
“We are not debating the efficacy of fluoride in any way. … We hold that a free American and Floridian has the right to decide what goes into their body no matter what elected officials may believe is good for their citizens or not,” Rep. Danny Alvarez, a Hillsborough County Republican who was one of the bill’s sponsors, told CNN.
Stock image of water running from a tap.
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Fluoride doesn’t meet the bill’s definition of a “water quality additive,” which means any “chemical, additive, or substance that is used in a public water system for the purpose of: (a) Meeting or surpassing primary or secondary drinking water standards; (b) Preventing, reducing, or removing contaminants; or c) Improving water quality.”
Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral, the Cleveland Clinic explains, that “reverses early decay and remineralizes your tooth enamel.” While consuming large amounts of fluoride can be toxic, the Cleveland Clinic says, “it’s very difficult to reach toxic levels with properly fluoridated water and over-the-counter products that contain fluoride.”
Removing the mineral could be costly in terms of health — and dental bills, if history is any guide.
In 2011, the Canadian city of Calgary removed fluoride from its water after citizens voted to remove the mineral; last year, they voted to add it back. As Calgary City Council member Gian-Carlo Carra told NPR“the rate of dental caries (cavities) has increased significantly more than the rate of dental caries was increasing before.”
One study showed that 65% of second-graders — born after the fluoride was removed — had tooth decay.
Adding the mineral, Carra said, can “affect a significant, rounding improvement on a general approach to dental health and public health.”
Juno, Ala., also saw a steep increase in childhood tooth decay after the city removed fluoride from its water in 2007. One University of Alaska Anchorage study estimated each child incurred an extra $300 in dental bills per year following the removal.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control called adding fluoride to water one of the “ten great public health achievements” of the last century, explaining it “safely and inexpensively benefits both children and adults by effectively preventing tooth decay, regardless of socioeconomic status or access to care.”
Stock image of a child at the dentist.
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The CDC estimated it reduced tooth decay in up to 70% children, and tooth loss in up to 60% of adults.
However, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing claims that it is dangerous and can even make kids “stupider,” in a cabinet meeting on April 30 with President Trump, according to USA Today. He also erroneously referred to it as an “industrial waste” in a post on X.
“On Jan. 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy wrote in the November 2 post.
In a statement shared in October, the American Dental Association said that they, along with other major health organizations, “continue to endorse community water fluoridation at optimal levels to help prevent tooth decay.”
“Even in an era with widespread availability of fluoride from various sources, other studies show that community water fluoridation prevents at least 25% of tooth decay in children and adults throughout their lifespan.” Linda J. Edgar, D.D.S., the president of the American Dental Association, said. “The scientific weight of sound evidence around the benefit of community water fluoridation is clear and compelling.”
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