Removing fluoride from public drinking water may lead to millions more cavities in US children, study estimates

In West Point, water samples show higher level of fluoride

WEST POINT — Elevated levels of fluoride have been detected in West Point’s water supply, raising concerns over a discoloration risk for children’s teeth. The 2024 annual drinking water quality sampling contains a fluoride alert, according to a report from Public Works Director Walter Feurer. The report, noted, in the agenda for the May 27 Town Council meeting, stated that “elevated fluoride levels” were detected in the town’s drinking water. Fl…

America's Dental Health Is in Trouble

Not long ago, Dr. Suzanne Fournier saw a 16-year-old patient with a swollen face and difficulty breathing. Fournier, a dentist who practices at an urban hospital in Louisiana, had to extract six of the teen’s teeth; he was eventually intubated and admitted to the intensive care unit because his airways had closed up. He survived, but Fournier is worried that there will be more children like him across the country who could come close to death be…

Fluoridation fight marks new pain point for dentists

BOSTON (SHNS) - Dr. Derek Song took the day off from his dental clinic in Burlington on Wednesday to urge Beacon Hill to support dentistry amidst threats to fluoridation and dental care coverage. "Water fluoridation has been around for a number of years at a safe level, which is seven parts per million, which has been proven by science to be safe and effective," Song said at a State House advocacy event. Song and other dentists with the Massachu…

Utah lawmakers discuss a way to prevent cavities: Give school kids gum

Utah lawmakers, who voted to ban fluoride from drinking water, are considering a new cavity-prevention idea for Utahns to chew on: Giving school kids and prisoners xylitol gum three times a day.

RFK’s War on Fluoride Could Lead to 50 Million More Tooth Decay Cases, Study Suggests

The health costs of removing fluoride from the American water supply could reach nearly $20 billion over 10 years.

Letter: Don’t give up successes of adding fluoride to water

As a Berks County native born in the 1940s, I lived prior to and then through the adoption of the use of fluoride. In third grade, I first visited a dentist; I had 30 cavities. Later when I was living in the West Reading School District, the school dental hygienist provided surface fluoride application to students. Sometime late in my high school years, I remember a public meeting in the high school gymnasium about fluoridation of the water supp…