The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking action to remove ingestible fluoride prescription drugs for children off the market.
In a press release, the FDA said products that are swallowed offer significant risk to infants and toddlers, unlike toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses.
The FDA also said the ingestion of fluoride products comes with risks like problems with the early development of the gut microbiome in childhood, thyroid disorders, weight gain, and decreased IQ. The federal agency provided links to several studies that point to worrying effects in children, especially in regard to their IQ.
A meta-analysis of studies related to fluoride ingestion and child IQ found an inverse association between fluoride measures in urine and drinking water versus children’s IQ.
An inverse association is defined as a relationship where an increase in one variable leads to a decrease in another variable. Simply put, the more fluoride that was in urine samples and drinking water, the lower the measured child IQ was.
The meta-analysis looked at 74 studies from across the world and found that 64 (86%) reported inverse associations between fluoride exposure and measured children’s IQ.
‘The best way to prevent cavities in children is by avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene.’
Michael Connett, an attorney who has sued the EPA over the fluoridation of drinking water, told Blaze News he was happy to see the idea finally come to fruition.
“I think it is an excellent decision, and long overdue,” Connett said.
Connett has been at odds with the federal government since at least 2016 when he filed a petition against the FDA on behalf of the Fluoride Action Network. The petition specifically targeted “unapproved prescription drugs” and claimed there was a large body of scientific and medical evidence that demonstrated fluoride supplements were neither safe nor effective.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who was confirmed by the Senate in March, said he was instructing the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to evaluate the evidence regarding the risks of systemic fluoride exposure. With a goal date of October 31 to complete a safety review, the Department of Health and Human Services said it would develop a set of best practices for dental hygiene for children at the same time.
“The best way to prevent cavities in children is by avoiding excessive sugar intake and good dental hygiene, not by altering a child’s microbiome. For the same reason that fluoride may kill bacteria on teeth, it may also kill intestinal bacteria important for a child’s health,” Makary said.
The move comes as Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in its water in March.
Just last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his surgeon general, Joseph A. Ladapo, announced they were looking to become the second state to do so.
Ladapo said that proponents of fluoride in the water supply reminded him of the “Peanuts” character Linus, the little boy who carried around a blanket for emotional security.
“You know? Hold your blanket. But, unfortunately, you know, he is a kid. But what we have instead — we have professionals. There are doctors, dentists, [and] public health leaders who are holding on to fluoridation like that blanket,” Ladapo said during a press conference.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said the recent decision “directly safeguards the health and development of our children.”
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