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.

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.

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.

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.

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🚨 The Fayetteville Police Department is investigating two incidents at an apartment complex where University of Arkansas students have fallen from balconies in the past week. (5 News)

• A 19-year-old man died on Monday, reportedly as a result of a fall.

📱 Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is traveling to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week, where she will speak on a panel about youth mental health related to social media and another on the role states play in presidential transitions. (AP)

👮‍♂️ President Trump, on the first day of his second presidency, pardoned all eight Arkansans who were convicted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capital riot, including Richard "Bigo" Barnett of Gravette who was released from prison Monday night. (Arkansas Times)

👖 Textile recycling company Sortworthy plans to relocate to "the Bentonville area" from Florida, investing $3 million in a facility and creating 40 jobs in five years. (Northwest Arkansas Business Journal)

Cancer incidence among young and middle-aged women is rising, driven in part by a growing number of new lung cancer cases that are striking women more than men for the first time, per updated American Cancer Society statistics.

By the numbers: Arkansas will have an estimated 642 new cancer cases per 100,000 people in 2025.

• That's higher than the national average of nearly 610.

Go deeper:Lung cancer diagnoses in American women outpace men for first time

Now, you can escape to an off-the-map island in downtown Bentonville.

🕵️ The intrigue: Callisto has major speakeasy vibes. In fact, you enter through a door behind a painting at Midnight Gallery on Southwest A Street and there aren't any signs identifying where Callisto is.

Yes, but: The secret appears to be out. I'd make a reservation if you want a table quickly.

👏 The verdict: This is a unique spot worth making a point to try out with friends. Yes, it's a little on the pretentious side, but the quality of the drinks and the ambiance of the place will make you not mad at it.

• The menu is true to the tropical theme with some classics like pīna coladas and mai tais, plus several original mixed drinks.

🍹 What to try: For something crisp and refreshing, go for the Caribbean Silk ($16) with rum, passion fruit, ginger, pineapple, orange and lime. It comes in a glass shaped like a Moai statue head.

• For something smokey, try the Loose Cannon ($17) with whiskey, rum, liqeuers, demerara sugar and chocolate bitters.

Bonus: If you're with a group, share a bowl cocktail that serves four.

🍤 Zoom out: Check out the food menu with items like skewers, coconut shrimp and poke.

📍 Stop by: 4pm to midnight Thursday, 4pm-1am Friday and Saturday and 4-11pm Sunday at 407 SW A St. in Bentonville.

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