The U.S. government said it will start taking ingestible fluoride tablets off the market for kids. This is the latest action taken by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to target the mineral that strengthens teeth.
Fluoride is a mineral that is naturally found in water, earth, air, and some foods. It helps keep teeth from getting cavities and decay. Many years ago, the mineral was added to public water supplies in the US. It is also used in toothpaste and other dental goods to help keep teeth healthy.
As of May 13, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a news statement that the Food and Drug Administration is beginning to take “concentrated ingestible fluoride prescription drug products” off the market. Fluoride supplements are usually given to kids who have a high chance of getting cavities or tooth rot or who live in places where the water isn’t fluoridated.
The agency said that the supplements, which are taken by mouth as tablets or drops, are not cleared by the FDA. According to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, the supplements may change a child’s gut microbiome. He backed this up with studies that show a possible link between fluoride intake and “thyroid disorders, weight gain, and possibly decreased IQ.”
“The use of ingestible fluoride should end long ago,” Kennedy said in a statement. “This decision brings us one step closer to delivering on President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again.”
Kennedy’s controversial “Make America Healthy Again” movement aims to end what he calls the “chronic disease epidemic.” One part of this movement is his fight against fluoride. Scientists and oral health groups have said over and over that the health secretary’s advice against fluoride is very bad for public health.
In a statement released after the FDA’s announcement on May 13, President of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association Erin Haley-Hitz said, “There is no scientific evidence that fluoride at low levels affects gut microbiota.” Her statement was based on evidence.
When fluoride resources are taken away, Haley-Hitz said, “unprecedented challenges for oral disease prevention” will arise in places that aren’t getting enough help. Reuters reports that the American Dental Association has also said again that it supports fluoridating neighbourhood water to help keep teeth from getting cavities.
On October 31, the FDA wants to finish a safety review and a comment time for the public on the measure.
Why is fluoride a good thing?
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say that fluoride strengthens the tooth’s enamel, which is its hard top layer. This makes it less vulnerable to the acid that bacteria in the mouth make that causes tooth decay. In addition, fluoride stops and replaces chemicals that are lost during early tooth decay.
According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, cavities and tooth decay were common before neighbourhood water fluoridation began. They affected everyone in the United States. After studies showed that fluoride could lower tooth damage, public health officials suggested adding fluoride to the water supply.
The CDC says that adding fluoride to drinking water was one of the ten best things for public health in the 20th century. This was a time when Americans lived 30 years longer on average.
There are over 100 health groups that say fluoridating water is safe and useful. These groups include the CDC, the American Medical Association, WHO, the American Academy of Paediatrics, and the ADA. The American Dental Association says that fluoridated community water cuts tooth decay in kids and adults by more than 25%. This is true even though dental goods already contain a lot of fluoride.