Organized Dentistry Coalition supports Protect Our TEETH Act

Bill would require independent review of EPA water fluoridation guidance

The ADA and several other dental groups have expressed support for a bill that seeks to strengthen the scientific basis behind federal water fluoridation regulations.

The coalition sent a letter July 31 to Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II, D-Mo., in support of the Protect Our Treatment for Enamel, Erosion and Tooth Health Act, H.R. 4556, also known as the TEETH Act. The legislation, which was introduced in Congress July 21, would require the Environmental Protection Agency to commission an independent, rapid-response evidence review from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine before proposing updates to drinking water regulations that affect community water fluoridation.

“Without this measure, dental care costs are projected to rise significantly over the next five years. H.R. 4556 ensures that decisions regarding community water fluoridation are grounded in robust scientific evidence rather than individual, flawed or mischaracterized studies,” the coalition said, emphasizing the bill’s timeliness given the July 18 elimination of EPA’s Office of Research and Development.

Community water fluoridation has proven for more than 80 years to be safe, cost-effective and extensively researched, according to the coalition, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the public health measure as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. 

The letter was signed by the ADA; Academy of General Dentistry; American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology; American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; American Academy of Periodontology; American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research; American Association of Endodontists; American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; American Association of Orthodontists; American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists; American Student Dental Association; Hispanic Dental Association; and National Dental Association.