Removing fluoride from the public water system would result in dental disaster for millions of Americans, study warns

Patient's view of masked dentist approaching with tools in hands (Credit: Getty Images)

Since 1945, when it was first implemented in Grand Rapids, Mich., the addition of fluoride to tap water to reduce the risk of tooth decay has been hailed as a great 20th century public health achievement—one of the top 10 ever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

But since the start of 2025, the U.S. government—aka new HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—has called for the removal of fluoride from water, calling it “a very bad way to deliver it to our systems,” and prompting the states of Utah and Florida to have it banned.