Arkansas dentists oppose fluoride bills
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The Arkansas State Dental Association is watching — and opposing — a pair of bills filed in the Arkansas legislature that would undo guaranteed fluoride in drinking water.
The big picture: Fluoride in water became a hot topic recently after a federal judge in September ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate it over concerns that high levels could hurt the intellectual development of children.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who may serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in the new Trump administration, has called for an end to putting fluoride in water.
State of play: SB2 seeks to repeal state law requiring fluoride in water systems, and SB4 would allow customers of public water systems in Arkansas to vote on whether to have fluoride in their drinking water.
- Both bills are sponsored by Sen. Clint Penzo (R-Springdale), Sen. Bryan King (R-Green Forest), Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Matt Duffield (R-Russellville).
What they're saying: "Fluoride is one of the most beneficial public health initiatives of the last 50 years," Fayetteville dentist Kenton Ross, who is on the Arkansas State Dental Association's executive council, told Axios.
- Likewise, Brett Kessler, president of the American Dental Association, included maintaining "a robust community water fluoridation initiative" in his recommendations for how the nation should prevent dental disease in an op-ed for the Washington Post on Sunday.
How it works: Fluoride is a mineral that occurs naturally in water that strengthens a tooth's surface.
- The rate of tooth decay in children has been cut in half since adding fluoride to drinking water, and more tooth decay and costly dental problems can be expected if fluoride is not required in drinking water, Ross said.
- The fluoride in toothpaste will not be enough to make up for the lack of the mineral in water because young children need to ingest fluoride to develop strong teeth and should not eat toothpaste, he added.
Catch up quick: Studies have found evidence that high levels of fluoride exposure might be associated with lower IQ levels in children, Axios' Maya Goldman writes.
- The CDC recommends that drinking water is fluorinated at 0.7 milligrams per liter. As long as fluoride levels are kept to the recommended amount, there aren't known negative effects, Ross said.
The other side: "According to the British Fluoridation Society, out of 195 countries in the entire world, only 25 add fluoride to their water. To the best of my knowledge, there are not 170 countries in this world with its population running around with brown teeth or toothless," Duffield told Axios in an email.
- Duffield said he had only received support from constituents regarding the bills and hadn't gotten any negative responses.
Of note: Some European countries, including France, Germany and Switzerland, put fluoride in their salt instead of their water, according to the British Fluoridation Society.
Context: "It is important to note as well that this bill is not a 'blind follow' of Republican ideals coming with the new administration," Duffield wrote. "Portland, Oregon is widely looked at as one of the most liberal areas in the entire country. They have consistently rejected the notion of adding fluoride to their drinking water."
- As of 2022, about 26% of Oregon residents were served by a fluoridated water system, the third-lowest rate in the country behind Hawaii and New Jersey, according to the CDC. In Arkansas, the rate was about 87%.
- Portland is the nation's largest city without fluoridated water, and voters have repeatedly rejected efforts to add it since 1965, most recently in 2013, the Washington Post reported.
What's next: SB4 moved to the senate committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs yesterday, and SB2 goes to the senate committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor today.