The Debate Over Fluoridated Water
The debate over fluoridation goes back 80 years to when communities began fluoridating water to prevent tooth decay. The issue: Is fluoridated water good for your health or not?
Pro - Fluoride
With over eight decades of evidence and experience, every major health organization agrees: fluoridated water protects your teeth without posing risks to your health. While almost all water contains naturally occurring fluoride, the community water systems that serve most American households adjust the level, usually by adding fluoride to reach the right amount to protect teeth.
Fluoride from water and toothpaste is the main reason most people no longer need the dentures that were so common before widespread fluoridation. Studies show that is why dental costs are lower and oral health problems have declined in fluoridated communities. Healthier mouths benefit our overall health and quality of life.
Each time a fluoridation law has been challenged on the grounds that it infringes on personal freedom, the courts have recognized the right of community leaders to make this decision. Individuals have the choice to filter out fluoride or buy bottled water.
Recent studies have offered differing conclusions about whether fluoride negatively affects people’s cognitive abilities. Some studies suggest a negative effect, while others show that fluoride has no effect or even a positive effect. What is clear is that there is no effect from fluoride at the low level currently used for community water fluoridation in the U.S.
The current social and political climate in the U.S. favors certain personal freedoms over the community good. Deep skepticism of science, especially coming from government entities, coupled with the spread of mis- and dis-information, have led to the dismantling of sound public health systems and the brain trusts that have supported them for decades.
Anti - Fluoride
There are a variety of reasons why people seek to remove fluoride from drinking water.
A common one is that fluoridation of the whole community violates individual freedom of choice. Some believe that fluoride in water doesn’t do much, if anything, to reduce tooth decay. Some opponents are frightened by conspiracy theories about government use of fluoride as forced medication. However, the leading criticism is that fluoridated water is not safe.
Community water fluoridation has been blamed for a wide range of health problems, from bone cancer to acne. In recent years, critics have focused on claims that fluoride has effects on cognitive development in children. Scientific organizations have rejected such claims, and there is sound research that disproves many, if not all, of them. Some of these studies were conducted in countries where the level of natural fluoride in water far exceeds levels in the U.S., like China, India and Iran. More recently, studies published on communities in North America have been called into question over significant flaws, potential bias, and invalid research methods.
While momentum to end water fluoridation has ebbed and flowed since fluoridation began, there have been many successful campaigns to end this public health practice, some with regret. Calgary, the third-largest city in Canada, voted in November 2021 to resume water fluoridation to reverse deteriorating dental health after the practice was stopped in 2011. In the first half of 2025 we saw two states, Florida and Utah, draw up and pass state laws banning the practice of community water fluoridation. Other states are considering similar legislation. In just a few years, data will demonstrate the health effects in those states.
