CHICAGO, November 23, 2024 — The American Dental Association (ADA), America’s leading voice on oral health, strongly opposes the comments made by Florida Surgeon General Ladapo about community water fluoridation.
“It’s disheartening to hear Dr. Ladapo’s misinformed and dangerous comments regarding community water fluoridation,” said Brett Kessler, D.D.S., president of the American Dental Association. “The ADA believes in the use of proven, evidence-based science when making public policy decisions. For Dr. Ladapo to call community water fluoridation ‘medical malpractice’ and call on all municipalities to end its practice is a dangerous statement that stands to harm the oral and overall health of all Floridians.”
Florida already has over 5 million people living in dental professional shortage areas—one of the highest in the country with 65 out of 67 counties being designated as having insufficient dental providers. “Eliminating a proven public health strategy to reduce dental disease in a state that has access to care issues is very short sighted,” Dr. Kessler stated.
Dental disease is one of the most common chronic diseases, five times more common than asthma. The infection and pain from untreated dental decay results in 34 million lost school hours for children and 92 million hours of work lost for adults according to the CDC.
Fluoride has been called “nature’s cavity fighter” because it occurs naturally in varying amounts in water sources such as rivers, lakes and even the oceans. Fluoride helps rebuild (remineralize) weakened tooth enamel and reverses early signs of tooth decay. When the natural level of fluoride in drinking water is very low, communities can add a small amount to bring it to a level to help prevent tooth decay. The current recommended amount of fluoride in water is 0.7 parts per million (ppm) water which is comparable to approximately 1 inch in 23 miles or 1 minute in 1,000 days.
According to the CDC, even with the widespread availability of fluoride toothpaste, water fluoridation helps reduce tooth decay by 25 %. Decades of research and practical experience have demonstrated the effectiveness of community water fluoridation in reducing tooth decay.
While some recent studies have shown that sustained exposure to high levels of fluoride above 1.5 parts per million could negatively impact health, that amount is more than twice the 0.7 ppm recommended for community water fluoridation.
As a science and evidence-based organization, the ADA welcomes continued study and evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of water fluoridation and continues to strongly support community water fluoridation at its current recommended level.
“In a time during widespread misinformation and biased interpretation of research, the ADA remains committed to optimally fluoridating water at levels that are proven to be safe for the public,” said Dr. Kessler.
For more information on community water fluoridation and ADA advocacy, visit ADA.org/fluoride.