Health burden, economic consequences of ceasing water fluoridation
Experts have predicted that the removal of fluoride from public drinking water could have dire consequences on the oral health of U.S. children, along with adding billions of dollars to the cost of dental care.
Their expression of concern followed in the wake of statewide bans on community water fluoridation in Utah and Florida and plans to stop recommending the practice by U.S. health and human services secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., according to a news article from CNN.
The experts advocated for the continued efficacy of fluoride, a mineral that has been shown to protect teeth from decay and strengthen tooth enamel. The addition of fluoride to drinking water has been hailed as one of the greatest health interventions of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a new study published in JAMA Health Forum, investigators used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to estimate costs associated with the decision to cease water fluoridation. Their model predicted this would result in more than 25 million additional decayed teeth requiring fillings, root canals or tooth extractions as well as nearly $10 billion in health care costs every five years — and would disproportionately impact patients with limited access to dental care, particularly Medicaid beneficiaries and those from low-income households.
The investigators noted that their models were consistent with real-life data from communities such as Calgary, Canada, where dental decay levels and treatment costs rose significantly following the cessation of fluoridation. Calgary is resuming fluoridation this month.
Although RFK, Jr. has claimed that fluoridated water causes cancer and adverse neurocognitive effects, the CDC and American Cancer Society have disagreed with these claims. The investigators didn’t include these factors in their models because current federal guidance doesn’t find an association of harm linked to the low level of fluoride used in public water systems in the United States.
The investigators argued that the cost of dental decay cannot be measured in terms of money alone. “It’s also a cost in terms of children being in pain, children not being able to eat, children missing school or not being able to pay attention in school because their teeth hurt [and] parents missing work…” they added.
“This is a huge cost for our country and it’s all avoidable. There is no better replacement for the time-tested, doctor-trusted use of fluoride in community water programs,” emphasized Brett Kessler, D.D.S., president of the American Dental Association, in a separate statement. “No amount of political rhetoric or misinformation will change that good oral health depends on proper nutrition, oral hygiene and optimally fluoridated water, or fluoride supplements if community water programs lack fluoride,” he concluded.
Read more: CNN
The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.