Overview

• A JAMA Health Forum model projects 25.4 million excess cases of tooth decay and $9.8 billion in additional treatment costs over five years if community water fluoridation ends.
• Researchers found the impact would fall hardest on publicly insured and uninsured children who rely on fluoridated water to prevent cavities.
• Fluoridation has been hailed by the CDC as one of the top 10 public health achievements since its debut in Grand Rapids in 1945.
• Only about 40% of US children currently benefit from optimal fluoride levels in drinking water, while removal would prevent around 200,000 cases of dental fluorosis over five years.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s order to halt CDC fluoride recommendations has led to policy shifts and bans on water fluoridation in Utah and Florida.