Exposure to Fluoride in Water: How it’s Measured Really Matters

April 2nd, 2024 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride Dangers, Fluoride in water, What the Experts Say about Fluoride

Opponents of fluoride in water are quick to cite a 2019 Canadian study (Green et al.) to claim that fluoride affects the IQ of 3 and 4 year old children. A new peer-reviewed analysis refutes the validity of this study, showing that the Canadian researchers relied on invalid measures of both fluoride exposure and IQ. […]


War Moved Kids to a Fluoridated Community

February 21st, 2024 Children's Oral Health, Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health

Amid the fighting of World War II, an urgent need to relocate children in Great Britain led to a powerful discovery — one that helped to revolutionize public health and children’s oral health. In a recent newspaper article, British dentist Ray Lowry told this fascinating story. War moved kids to a fluoridated community. Early in […]


Taking a Fresh Look at British Study on Fluoride in Water

November 7th, 2023 Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride in the News

In recent years, multiple studies have compared communities with and without the preventive health benefits of fluoride in water. Each one of these studies has revealed fluoridation’s benefits, but let’s take a closer look at the most recent study, which was conducted in England. The purpose of CATFISH (Cumbrian Assessment of Teeth a Fluoride Intervention […]


What Does the EPA Say About Fluoride?

July 17th, 2023 Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride in water, What the Experts Say about Fluoride

Like any vitamin or trace element, fluoride in water must be properly balanced for maximum benefit to prevent tooth decay. The recommend amount of fluoride in water is currently 0.7 parts per million, a level that prevents both cavities and fluorosis. Although fluoride occurs naturally in all water, in the U.S. it rarely exceeds the […]


What Does the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Say About Fluoride?

January 31st, 2023 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Facts about Fluoride, Partners in Fluoride, What the Experts Say about Fluoride

The Campaign for Dental Health provides numerous resources to help you understand fluoridated water and address questions about fluoride. As part of that, we like to highlight what our partners say about fluoride. One of our closely aligned partners, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), has much to say about fluoride and fluoridated water. […]


Does Correcting Fluoride Misinformation Backfire?

January 12th, 2023 Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Fluoride in water

Years ago, research papers suggested that calling attention to public health myths and then correcting them could produce an unanticipated “backfire” effect. In other words, people might be more likely to remember the myths than to recall the facts (corrections). This issue has major implications for health educators who promote community water fluoridation. Fortunately, more […]


USCPS Task Force Issues a New Oral Health Resource

December 15th, 2022 Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health, Health Equity

There are proven community-level approaches that protect our teeth by preventing tooth decay. A new color-coded resource from the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force summarizes its recommendations to reduce the rate of tooth decay and improve our oral health. Community water fluoridation is one of the strategies that the Task Force recommends. The Task […]


Fluoride Toothpaste Recommendations for Children Under Age 6

December 12th, 2022 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Facts about Fluoride, What the Experts Say about Fluoride

fluoride toothpaste; children; toothpaste for children; toothpaste recommendations

Since 2014, the American Dental Association (ADA), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) have all recommended fluoride toothpaste. They advise parents and caregivers to use a rice-sized smear of fluoride toothpaste for children under the age of 3 and to begin brushing twice a day from the […]


Does Fluoride Lower IQ Scores?

November 10th, 2022 Children's Oral Health and Fluoride, Facts about Fluoride, Fluoride and Public Health

IQ Scores; fluoride

America has been preventing tooth decay with fluoridated water for over 75 years. Community water fluoridation is effective, safe and benefits everyone regardless of age or income. About 75% of U.S. communities enjoy fluoridated water. Until recently, concerns about fluoride and IQ were rarely raised. Opponents of fluoridation began focusing on IQ after the 2012 publication of […]