A Pediatrician Clarifies the Issues

Posted October 08, 2025 & filed under Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride Dangers.

Pediatricians and other health professionals have a critical role to play in educating their patients and communities about fluoride. In a new video, Dr. Scott Hadland, a pediatrician, models how to do it. He clarifies what the evidence shows about fluoride in drinking water — both its benefits and its safety.

As Dr. Hadland explains, tooth decay is “one of the most common health problems in children.” He adds that tooth decay disproportionately affects children from families that cannot afford regularly dental care. Water fluoridation so important because it reaches all kids in a community.

A program at the National Institutes of Health reviewed a cluster of fluoride studies from abroad. Its 2024 report generated headlines that have confused or misled some parents. Dr. Hadland says that the studies that were reviewed do not show any safety concerns “at our levels of fluoride in our drinking water.”

Besides Dr. Hadland’s video, there are other resources to share with parents or to inform your own understanding of fluoride and fluoridation:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics has created a new Fact Checked page that summarizes what is known about fluoride.
• AAP’s Campaign for Dental Health has a special page that prepares health professionals to have positive conversations with patients about fluoride in drinking water.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Truer words were never spoken.