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3w ago

Major U.S. Study Finds No Cognitive Harm From Fluoridated Water, Notes Small Academic Gains

The findings address U.S. policy questions by analyzing exposure at typical fluoridation levels.

File photo: a public water tap (left) and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr (right).
A new study found that young people exposed to fluoride at recommended levels performed better on cognitive tests than peers who did not have fluoride in drinking water.
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© SrideeStudio via Shutterstock

Overview

  • Published in Science Advances, the analysis followed the High School and Beyond cohort from 1980 through 2021 and estimated childhood fluoride exposure using Fluoridation Census records and USGS well measurements.
  • Students consistently exposed to recommended fluoride levels (about 0.7 mg/L) posted modestly higher high-school scores in math, reading, and vocabulary, roughly 7% of a standard deviation.
  • Assessments around age 60 showed no statistically significant link between childhood fluoride exposure and later-life cognitive performance.
  • The results differ from a National Toxicology Program review that associated lower IQ with much higher exposures and reported insufficient data for typical U.S. levels.
  • The evidence arrives as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges fluoridation and Utah and Florida enact bans, while the CDC and American Dental Association continue to endorse the practice and researchers plan direct IQ studies.