Utah to become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water

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Fluoride helps strengthen teeth and prevent cavities by replenishing minerals lost through everyday wear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.However, Utah lawmakers pushing for a ban argued that fluoridating public water is too costly. Governor Spencer Cox — who was raised and later raised his own children in a non-fluoridated community — recently likened fluoridation to being “medicated” by the government.The ban, set to take effect on May 7, comes just weeks after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a known skeptic of water fluoridation — was sworn into office.The American Dental Association (ADA) condemned the Utah decision, accusing state officials of showing a “wanton disregard for the oral health and well-being of their constituents.”“As a father and a dentist, it is disheartening to see that a proven, public health policy, which exists for the greater good of an entire community’s oral health, has been dismantled based on distorted pseudoscience,” said ADA President Dr. Brett Kessler, a Denver-based dentist.Cavities remain the most common chronic childhood disease, the ADA noted.Utah is now set to become the first U.S. state to fully ban fluoride in drinking water. Other states — including Ohio, South Carolina, and Florida — have introduced similar proposals to limit or restrict fluoridation by local governments or water system operators.In contrast, proposals to restrict fluoridation were recently rejected in New Hampshire, Tennessee, and North Dakota. In Kentucky, a bill that would have made fluoridation optional stalled in the state Senate.Public health experts widely consider water fluoridation to be the most cost-effective method for preventing tooth decay on a large scale. Around 200 million people in the U.S. — roughly two-thirds of the population — currently receive fluoridated water through municipal systems. The CDC has named fluoridation one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century.Still, some U.S. cities have moved to eliminate fluoride from their water supplies, and others are weighing similar action. A few months ago, a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to begin regulating fluoride in drinking water, citing concerns that high levels may harm children’s cognitive development.Dr. Kessler noted that the fluoride levels added to U.S. drinking water are well below thresholds deemed harmful. According to the National Institutes of Health, dangerous levels of fluoride typically result from rare accidents — like children swallowing fluoride supplements or treatments meant for topical use in dental offices. The agency states it’s “virtually impossible” to receive a toxic dose from fluoridated water or toothpaste used at recommended levels.Critics of Utah’s ban warn it could disproportionately affect low-income residents, who may rely on public water as their only access to preventive dental care. Many families without fluoridated water cannot afford routine dental visits or fluoride tablets.