The debate over the benefits and risks of fluoride continues, and incoming President Trump's HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing to remove fluoride from the U.S. water supply.
“Fluoride is an industrial waste linked to arthritis, broken bones, bone cancer, reduced IQ, neurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid disease,” RFK wrote in an article published in X in November.
A new study published Jan. 6 in JAMA Pediatrics found another correlation between fluoride exposure and children's IQ.
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Fluoridated water has been used "for decades" to reduce cavities and improve oral health, noted study co-author Dr. Kayla Taylor of North Carolina.
Exposure to fluoride can have a variety of negative health effects but is beneficial to oral health. (iStock)
“However, there are concerns that pregnant women and children who obtain fluoride from a variety of sources, including drinking water, water-added foods and beverages, tea, toothpaste, dental floss and mouthwash, may have excessively high total fluoride exposure that may affect the fetus, Infant and child neurodevelopment," she told Fox Digital News.
The new study, led by scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), analyzed 74 epidemiological studies on children's IQ and fluoride exposure.
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The studies measured fluoride in drinking water and urine in 10 countries, including Canada, China, Denmark, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. (Neither conducted in the United States)
Taylor said the meta-analysis found a "statistically significant association" between higher fluoride exposure and lower IQ scores in children.
"(Studies show) the more fluoride a child is exposed to, the more likely the child's IQ is to be lower than without exposure," she said.
Scientists found a "statistically significant association" between higher fluoride exposure and lower children's IQ scores. (iStock)
Taylor emphasized that these results are consistent with six previous meta-analyses, all of which reported the same "statistically significant inverse association" between fluoride exposure and children's IQ.
Studies have found that for every 1 mg/L increase in urinary fluoride, IQ will decrease by 1.63 points.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined 1.5mg/L as the "safe upper limit" of fluoride in drinking water.
"There are concerns that pregnant women and children are getting fluoride from a variety of sources."
At the same time, the U.S. Public Health Service recommends a fluoride concentration of 0.7 mg/L in drinking water.
"There are insufficient data to determine whether exposure to 0.7 mg/L of fluoride in drinking water affects children's IQ," Taylor noted.
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Researchers noted that higher levels of the chemical were found in wells and community water that serves nearly 3 million people in the United States.
She encourages pregnant women and parents of young children to watch their total fluoride intake.
Nearly three million people use well and community water with fluoride levels above levels recommended by the World Health Organization. (iStock)
"If their water is fluoridated, they may want to replace tap water with low-fluoridated bottled water, such as purified water, and limit exposure from other sources, such as dental products or black tea," she said.
"Parents can use low-fluoride bottled water to mix with infant formula and limit the use of fluoridated toothpaste for young children."
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While the study was not intended to address the broader public health impacts of water fluoridation in the United States, Taylor said the findings could help inform future research into the effects of fluoride on children's health.
In response to this and other previous studies, Ellie Phillips, DDS, PhD, an oral health educator based in the U.S. Austin, Texastold Fox News Digital that she does not support water fluoridation.
Researchers encourage parents of young children to watch their total fluoride intake. (iStock)
"I join those who strongly oppose the fluoridation of public water supplies, and I question why our water supplies are still fluoridated in the 21st century," she wrote in an email.
"In some non-fluoridated cities and countries, the public enjoys higher levels of oral health, and in some cases appears to be better than in fluoridated cities and countries."
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Phillips said the fluoride debate is "confusing" even among dentists because the American Dental Association (ADA) promotes the use of fluoride to prevent cavities through water fluoridation, toothpaste and mouthwash -- "sometimes in very high concentrations." high".
The use of fluoride in water, toothpaste, and mouthwash can help prevent cavities. (iStock)
"(But) biological (holistic) dentists often encourage patients to fear fluoride and avoid its use entirely, even if their teeth are ravaged by cavities," she said.
"Topical fluoride is beneficial, whereas systemic fluoride carries risks."
Phillips encouraged the public to consider the effects of different fluorides, different concentrations and the "extreme differences" between topical fluoride and ingested fluoride.
"Topical fluoride is beneficial, whereas systemic fluoride carries risks," she warns.
“Individuals must take charge of their own oral health using natural and informed strategies.”
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The research received funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Intramural Research Program.