American Dental Association Reaffirms Support for Community Water Fluoridation

CHICAGO, August 26, 2024 — After reviewing the newly released National Toxicology Program (NTP) Monograph on the State of Science Concerning Fluoride Exposure and Neurodevelopment and Cognition, the American Dental Association (ADA) continues to endorse community water fluoridation as safe and beneficial to oral health.

According to the ADA’s expert committee that examined the report, the monograph does not provide any new or conclusive evidence that should necessitate any changes in current community water fluoridation practices for public health policy consideration. None of the studies on IQ included in the NTP’s review were conducted in the U.S. and were instead from areas with high levels of naturally-occurring fluoride in water.

According to Dr. Linda Edgar, president of the American Dental Association, “Community water fluoridation has been hailed by the Centers for Disease Control as one of 10 great public health achievements. Public health policy is based on a collective weight of scientific evidence. Decades of research and practical experience indicate that fluoride is safe and beneficial to oral health.”

Dr. Edgar added that the ADA follows evidence and research on the best ways to advance public health and welcomes new research that advances oral health care policy.

The NTP acknowledged that studies of fluoride exposure at levels recommended for community water fluoridation have not consistently or reliably demonstrated effects on cognitive development.  The findings in the NTP monograph along with four other recent systemic reviews of the studies in the monograph, reinforce the safety of community water fluoridation as a public health intervention, according to the ADA.

The U.S. Public Health Services’ recommendation is that the amount of fluoride needed in water to help prevent tooth decay is 0.7 parts per million, which is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and many other public health authorities. For more than 75 years, public water systems across the country have adjusted the existing and naturally- occurring fluoride levels in drinking water to the recommended optimum concentration to help prevent tooth decay. Today, even with wide-spread availability of fluoride toothpaste, studies show community water fluoridation continues to be effective in reducing tooth decay by about 25 percent in children and adults.

The ADA is committed to the overall health of the public in addition to its oral health and will continue evaluating the validity of emerging evidence and research to support public health advances. To learn more about the benefits of fluoride, please visit MouthHealthy.org/fluoride or view Fluoridation Facts on the ADA website.

About the American Dental Association
The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 159,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance has long been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), published monthly, is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org.

The ADA Forsyth Institute was founded in 1910 as the Forsyth Dental Infirmary for Children (later, the Forsyth Institute), to provide dental care to the disadvantaged children of Boston. While continuing to serve children in need, yet recognizing the ultimate goal is to prevent dental disease, the Institute in 1915 began to focus on scientific research and is today the world’s leader in oral health research. In October of 2023, the Institute joined with the American Dental Association to form the ADA Forsyth Institute, a 501(c)(3) entity dedicated to improving people’s oral and overall health and powering the profession of dentistry through cutting-edge basic research, creative translational science, innovative clinical technologies, and global public health outreach. Consistent with the Institute’s founding mission, the ADA ForsythKids mobile dental program continues to serve children in need.