The debate over the benefits and risks of fluoride is ongoing, as RFK Jr. — President-elect Trump’s pick for HHS secretary — is pushing to remove it from the US water supply.
“Fluoride is an industrial waste linked to arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, loss of IQ, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease,” RFK wrote in a post on X in November.
A new study published in JAMA Pediatrics on January 6 found another correlation between fluoride exposure and children’s IQ.
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Co-author of the study dr. Kyla Taylor, who lives in North Carolina, noted that fluoridated water has been used for “decades” to reduce dental caries and improve oral health.
Exposure to fluoride is associated with a variety of negative health effects, yet it benefits oral health. (iStock)
“However, there is concern that pregnant women and children get fluoride from many sources, including drinking water, food and water-added beverages, teas, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash, and that their total exposure to fluoride is too high and can affect the neurodevelopment of fetuses, infants, and child,” she told Fox News Digital.
The new researchled by scientists from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), analyzed 74 epidemiological studies on children’s IQ and fluoride exposure.
The studies measured fluoride in drinking water and urine in 10 countries, including Canada, China, Denmark, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. (None conducted in the US)
A meta-analysis found a “statistically significant association” between higher and lower fluoride exposure children’s IQ scoresaccording to Taylor.
“[It showed] that the more fluoride a child is exposed to, the more likely their IQ will be lower than if they weren’t exposed,” she said.
The scientists found a “statistically significant association” between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ scores in children. (iStock)
These results were consistent with six previous meta-analyses, all of which reported the same “statistically significant inverse associations” between fluoride exposure and children’s IQ, Taylor emphasized.
Research has shown that for every 1mg/L increase in fluoride in the urine, there is a decrease in IQ by 1.63 points.
‘Safe’ exposure levels
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established 1.5 mg/L as the “upper safe limit” of fluoride in drinking water.
“There is concern that pregnant women and children are getting fluoride from many sources.”
Meanwhile, the US Public Health Service recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L in drinking water.
“There was insufficient data to determine whether exposure to fluoride at 0.7 mg/L in drinking water affected children’s IQ,” noted Taylor.
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Higher levels of the chemical can be found in wells and municipal water that serves nearly three million people in the U.S., the researcher noted.
She encouraged pregnant women and parents of small children to take care of the total intake of fluoride.
Nearly three million people have access to wells and municipal water with fluoride levels above the levels recommended by the World Health Organization. (iStock)
“If their water is fluoridated, they could replace their tap water with low-fluoride bottled water, e.g. purified waterand limit exposure from other sources, such as dental products or black tea,” she said.
“Parents can use low-fluoride bottled water to mix with powdered infant formula and limit the use of fluoride toothpaste in young children.”
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While the research did not set out to address the broader public health implications of water fluoridation in the US, Taylor suggested the results could help inform future research about the impact of fluoride on children’s health.
Dental health experts warn
In response to this study and other previous research, Dr. Ellie Phillips, DDS, oral health educator based in Austin, Texasshe told Fox News Digital that she does not support water fluoridation.
The study’s researcher encouraged parents of young children to be mindful of their total fluoride intake. (iStock)
“I join those who strongly oppose public water fluoridation and question why our water supplies are still fluoridated in the 21st century,” she wrote in an email.
“There are cities and countries where the public does not use fluoridation at high levels oral healthwhich in some cases seem better than those that are fluoridated.”
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Phillips called the fluoride debate “confusing” even among dentists, since the American Dental Association (ADA) advocates the use of fluoride to prevent cavities through fluoridation of water, toothpaste and mouthwash — “sometimes in high concentrations.”
Fluoride is used in water, toothpaste and mouthwash to prevent tooth decay. (iStock)
“[But] “biological (holistic) dentists generally encourage their patients to fear fluoride and avoid its use altogether, even if their teeth are ravaged by cavities,” she said.
“Topical fluoride is beneficial, while systemic consumption poses a risk.”
Phillips encouraged the public to consider the different compounds of fluoride, the effect of different concentrations and the “extreme difference” between topical application of fluoride and its ingestion.
“Topical fluoride is beneficial, while systemic consumption poses a risk,” she warned.
“Individuals must take charge of their own oral health using natural and informed strategies.”
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The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Intramural Research Program.
