The politics of water fluoridation

When I was growing up, fluoridation of water was regarded as a commie plot by the John Birch Society wingnuts. Nevertheless, hundreds of millions of Americans (including my wife and I) have lived with fluoridated water without evidence of harm. I see where RFK, Jr is predicting that the second Trump Administration will recommend against water fluoridation. In a society where many city water supplies are fluoridated and fluoridated toothpaste is widely available, the benefits of putting fluoride in the water are less obvious than they were 70 years ago and are thus being forgotten.

Yes, I understand that too much fluoride can kill you. So can too much water. As any pharmacologist will tell you, the dose makes the poison. Artificial fluoridation of water wasn’t some nefarious plot. In places where natural fluoride levels were high, the frequency of dental caries was lower. There’s plenty of epidemiological evidence that artificial fluoridation also results in fewer dental caries. Within the statutory limits, the evidence for harm from artificial fluoridation is tenuous at best. 

However, unlike measles, mumps, chicken pox and COVID, dental caries are not contagious. Thus, unlike anti-vaxxers, anti-water fluoridation folks only harm themselves and their children if they refuse to consume fluoridated water or use fluoridated toothpaste. If they impose their views on whole communities, they do deprive others of the benefits they refuse to acknowledge.

Click the link if you want to read the history of how the connection between water fluoridation and tooth enamel was made.

https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/health-info/fluoride/the-story-of-fluoridation