In an episode of the TV show “Parks & Recreation”, the government of the fictional town of Pawnee was debating whether to add fluoride to its water supply. The protagonist of the show, government employee Leslie Knope, was campaigning to introduce fluoride into the public water system in order to improve dental health, especially for children. Leslie’s facing resistance from Councilperson Jeremy Jamm, who’s, also, a dentist and who would like to add sweeteners to the water supply; that would be quite lucrative to his dentistry trade. The episode might be seen as a light-hearted take on dealing with public distrust, misinformation and the intricacies of public health proposals.
But, what even is fluoride? It’s a mineral that’s said to be released from rocks into soil and water, which is added to the water you drink and the toothpaste you brush your teeth with, because it’s said to strengthen your teeth and prevent cavities, long been touted as one of the most successful interventions against tooth decay.
The last couple of months of 2024 would let the world know who the 47th US President would be with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris vying for the role. At one point, Robert F Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr), who’s the nephew of the 35th US President John F Kennedy, was an independent candidate for President, until he suspended his bid and endorsed Donald.
And in November 2024, RFK Jr announced that if elected as the next President, Donald would make removing fluoride from US drinking water a priority on his first day of office. Donald was said to have promised that RFK would take care of health in the potential second-term Trump administration. RFK has had some past trouble with some public health claims that have been debunked by some experts and this was the next one catching flak. Why does RFK Jr not want fluoride in US drinking water? He has called fluoride an industrial waste, linking it to multiple health conditions, like bone fractures, loss of IQ, arthritis, neurodevelopmental disorders and more.
That’s the kind of assertion that just might conflict with the views of major and renowned health organizations.
When Donald was asked about this, he seemed non-committal, but, kind of, receptive. So, that’s a fun layer of ambiguity on top of an issue that, already, seems complex.
Some studies believe that cities that have naturally fluoridated water may have had lower rates of cavities than cities that didn’t have fluoride in their water supply, even long before modern dentistry existed. Some cite evidence that water fluoridation might have reduced tooth decay by about 25% in children and adults. And in the US, around 75% of US households are served by fluoridated community water systems.
Sure, fluoride might be a natural substance, but, just like most things, too much of it is a bad thing. WHO believes the safe limit for fluoride in drinking water is 1.5 milligrams per litre. But, it could be that with high doses, fluoride could hurt your bones and teeth, among other issues. So, maybe RFK Jr might be right when it’s too much fluoride. It might not justify an absence of fluoride in water. Though, RFK Jr might be resting his laurels on a study that outlined that higher maternal fluoride levels during pregnancy might be associated with a slight reduction in IQ in male children. But, others have come out to question the study’s methodology.
The fluoride dislike isn’t particularly new. In the US, even way before, there were said to be conspiracy theories that adding fluoride to the water was a way of government control and a new form of industrial pollution. Some even saw it as an infringement on personal freedom. “Stop making me healthy without my consent!”, assuming fluoride is something cool. Some critics believe that one should have the right to choose whether they ingest fluoride in their water or not. Though, some countries in Europe don’t fluoridate their water, instead putting the fluoride in something, like salt. On the other hand, in a Canadian city, fluoridation was discontinued only for cavity rates in children to rise and then, they went back to fluoride. Gum disease is said to have been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Could the absence of fluoride lead to untreated oral health issues, which would then contribute to these issues? When was the last time you had severe tooth pain? It might even make you miss more workdays and reduce your productivity. That could suck even more for lower-wage jobs where there’s no paid sick leave.
To some extent, fluoridation in the water supply could help those disadvantaged folks who may not have access to regular dental care and want a passive way to reduce dental caries. Maybe, a wealthier person might be able to afford regular dentist visits, but someone from a low-income family might need a publicly available resource, like water.
Maybe, fluoridation might even be something cost-effective. According to the CDC, optimally fluoridated water for US communities saves about $6.5 billion in dental treatment costs. From an entrepreneurial perspective, for every dollar spent on fluoridation, there’s an average ROI of $20. Yet, some believe – we’ll just go the toothpaste route.
On the other hand, if one is drinking fluoridated water, brushing with fluoridated toothpaste and gargling with fluoridated mouthwash and even eat food made with fluoridated water, could there be fluoridated overconsumption and toxicity?
So, is it time for some savvy entrepreneur to come up with a platform to monitor people’s fluoride levels? Maybe, that could address the risk of both over- and under-exposure to fluoride. Maybe, there’s some way to integrate this with smart toothbrushes.
Maybe it’s the COVID-19 pandemic, but there might be a wave of skepticism about public health recommendations and established scientific institutions. Maybe, Donald and RFK are tapping into that base for votes.
So, what do you think? If Donald Trump were to become the next President of the US, would people be paying closer attention to what they’re pouring into your water supply and even prefer it one way over the other?
