CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — There’s a growing public debate about the need for fluoride in our drinking water, but experts say even science-based concerns aren’t actually cause for concern.

Fluoride in drinking water, a cornerstone of public health since the mid-20th century, has significantly reduced tooth decay and improved dental health in the United States. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

In Iowa, the majority of residents benefit from community water fluoridation, but a recent legal decision and new developments in the political arena have reignited the debate over fluoridation after decades of established public health policy.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of President-elect Donald Trump’s top picks to oversee public health. He called for the complete elimination of water fluoridation.

The science behind fluoride

Fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral found in varying concentrations in water. D., professor of preventive and community dentistry at the University of Iowa. According to Steven Levy, fluoride or fluorine is one of the most common elements. “It’s ubiquitous, so we find it everywhere. All water has varying amounts of fluoride or fluoride concentration,” he said.

The benefits of fluoride were first discovered more than a century ago, and by the 1940s researchers began to notice that caries rates were lower in communities with naturally fluoridated water. Dr. “The presence of very low levels of fluoride in the water provided significant protection against cavities,” Levy said. By 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first U.S. city to add fluoride to its water supply. community water fluoridation.

Fluoridation is common in Iowa. Approximately 89% 66 percent of the state’s population drinks fluoridated water; Nationally, the rate is 66 percent. This includes most of Iowa’s major cities, such as Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Des Moines. Dr. Levy credits Iowa’s long-standing commitment to higher fluoridation. “In Iowa and much of the Midwest, it’s a higher percentage because we’ve been successful and we’ve been doing it longer and more communities are fluoridating,” he said.

Benefits: Cost savings and equity

Fluoride works by remineralizing teeth and preventing cavities. Dr. Levy explained: “Microscopic cavities form in our teeth all the time. “Fluoride helps at the surface level in what we call remineralization of these very small microscopic spaces, and it also reduces the formation of microscopic spaces, which we call demineralization.”

The economic benefits of fluoridation are significant. Dr. “This is one of the very few things that provides cost savings in oral health or any other area of ​​health,” Levy said. He explained that every dollar spent on water fluoridation saves approximately $20 in dentist visits and people who do not get dental fillings.

Fluoridation also helps address health disparities, especially in rural and low-income areas where dental care is less accessible. Dr. Although most people now get most of their fluoride from toothpaste and dentist visits, rural communities often face challenges accessing these sources, so fluoridation can play a crucial role in improving oral health, Levy said.

Rural families, he says, are “much less likely to get fluoride from the dentist, sometimes even much less likely to have fluoride toothpaste for different family members or their own toothbrush.” From a public health perspective, the impact is greater for these individuals. who is naturally less advantaged.”

For these families and others, fluoridation provides a vital form of passive prevention. “You don’t need to spend time trying to thoroughly clean your teeth every day to get benefits. “You will benefit from drinking the water,” explained Dr. Levy.

Debates, decisions, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Despite its benefits, fluoride has faced increased scrutiny in recent years. In August, a federal court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reevaluate fluoride standards based on findings from a National Toxicology Program (NTP) study. The study examined potential links between high fluoride levels and neurodevelopmental effects in children.

However, Dr. Levy says water treatment plants have been below these standard levels for decades, and overdosing by drinking tap water is nearly impossible.

Dr. “Some studies have found that high levels of fluoride may pose some risks of compromising a child’s development, but there was no evidence of any concern,” Levy said. “There was no concern at around 1.5 parts per million, which is more than twice the level we recommended.”

court order It is pushing the EPA to consider stricter regulations, but the agency has not yet announced whether it will appeal the decision.

In July, the EPA issued a periodic review of contaminants under the Safe Drinking Water Act and concluded that no changes to fluoride standards were necessary. However, the court’s decision may require a more comprehensive review.

Dr. Levy explained that, despite this, the court decision forcing the EPA to take action received a lot of media coverage, without elaborating on the fact that the study on which the decision was based showed no risk to individuals drinking tap water when optimally fluoridated. Levels of 0.7 parts per million create a pervasive environment for misinformation.

This type of misinformation about fluoride spreads quickly on the internet, and scientific findings are often exaggerated or misinterpreted. Dr. Levy warned against trusting unverified sources: “With the explosion of the Internet and then more recently social media, we sometimes hear things from one of those forms of communication that are not fully scientifically proven and sound.”

The political environment may also affect the future of fluoridation. According to Trump, RFK Jr. He is now cited as a potential health adviser in the incoming Trump administration and is calling for fluoride withdrawals. Additionally, Trump’s recent appointment of former Rep. Lee Zeldin to head the EPA has raised questions about possible policy changes. While there is Zeldin defended national drinking water standards His stance on fluoride as emerging contaminants remains unclear.

In the midst of these developments, Dr. Experts like Levy have emphasized the importance of evidence-based decision-making. He noted credible organizations such as the World Health Organization, CDC and American Dental Association, which support water fluoridation as a safe and effective public health measure.

Dr. “Just having one person say, ‘We don’t think we should be fluoridating,’ is not the best way to set public policy or continue to provide preventative benefit for most people in Eastern Iowa,” Levy said.