Overview
- The Science Advances analysis of about 26,820 U.S. teens linked community-level fluoride exposure with equal or slightly higher cognitive test scores versus nonfluoridated areas.
- Long-term follow-up through 2021 showed no association between childhood exposure to fluoridated water and cognitive decline by around age 60.
- The National Toxicology Program previously tied lower IQ to high fluoride exposures, but it evaluated levels at least twice federal recommendations and reported insufficient data at community levels.
- Public-health guidance remains unchanged as the CDC and American Dental Association continue to endorse fluoridation at roughly 0.7 mg/L, while the FDA has curtailed prescription fluoride supplements.
- Policy fights continue, with Florida and Utah passing statewide bans and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promoting rollbacks of national fluoridation recommendations.