Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. conceded that removing fluoride from water and toothpaste will most likely cause “more cavities.”
When Fox News’ The Faulkner Focus host, Harris Faulkner, asked him how children from lower-income homes without access to regular dental preventative care should treat their cavities without fluoride easily accessible, Kennedy admitted that they will “probably” just have to deal with it.
“What has been the response from dentists in America who may be concerned that some children in lower incomes in particular don’t get those regular dental preventative type situations where they can go in and get their teeth more indemnified and treated against cavities?” Faulkner asked.
“Well, people will still get indemnified for it, to the extent that they are already indemnified,” the HHS Secretary replied. “You know it is an issue, it’s a balance. You’re going to see probably slightly more cavities.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control, drinking fluoridated water strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by 25 percent in children and adults. Kennedy, however, has claimed fluoride causes children to have lower IQs.
“Although in Europe, where they banned fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities,” Kennedy claimed.
European countries have not, however, banned fluoride. Many countries do not add fluoride to their water because it naturally contains high enough levels of the mineral or citizens get enough fluoride by other means, the BBC has reported.
Kennedy went on to say that it all comes down to parents and whether or not they want to introduce their children to fluoride products, claiming that the “science is very clear on fluoride.”
He cited a report by the National Toxicology Program—which he referred to as “the National Toxicity Program”—saying that it showed that “there is a direct inverse correlation between the amount of fluoride in your water and your loss of IQ.”
“So even small increments of fluoride cause loss IQ, particularly in babies,” he claimed. “And those children are getting no benefit because they don’t have teeth.”
“That is true,” Faulkner remarked.
The report in question was based on studies conducted in non-U.S. countries like China, Mexico, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Canada, and determined that drinking water with more than 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per liter, not just “small increments,” had an association with lower IQ in children. That is more than twice the recommended levels of fluoride in the U.S., according to the CDC, which states that 0.7mg/L is the ideal amount to maximize oral health benefits and minimize any potential risks.
“It is important to note that there were insufficient data to determine if the low fluoride level of 0.7 mg/L currently recommended for U.S. community water supplies has a negative effect on children’s IQ,” the report noted.
The WHO has also stated that the safety threshold for fluoride is 1.5 mg/L.
Fluoride was introduced in the U.S. in a handful of water systems in the 1940s to improve dental health among Americans, but Kennedy said that there is now “no systemic benefit” for it.
“When you drink it, it’s not giving you an additional benefit,” he said. “It ought to be up to the parents. The government shouldn’t be saying you should take a neurotoxin.”
The president of the American Dental Association, Brett Kessler, warned in April that the “myths that fluoridated water is harmful and no longer necessary to prevent dental disease is troublesome.”
“When government officials, like Secretary Kennedy, stand behind the commentary of misinformation and distrust peer-reviewed research, it is injurious to public health,” he said in a statement.
Kennedy also claimed that there are “bad impacts” from fluoride, such as reducing bone density and calcifying one’s thyroid.
Certain studies have indicated that there may be a link between fluoride and thyroid disease as well as weak bones, but there has not been conclusive evidence on the matter.
Any potential associations between fluoride and these adverse effects are also due to high levels of fluoride which exceed the CDC’s recommended amount.
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