Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has sparked ire in the dental community for opposing the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. Fluoride is a widely recognized anti-cavity mineral that helps strengthen teeth.
The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services is leading the federal government’s push to add safe doses of fluoride to public water systems in accordance with government standards to improve the oral health of the nation.
After seeing a recent photo of Kennedy, Dr. Royce Lai, a dentist in Ontario, Canada, pointed out that Kennedy had a lot of plaque and tartar accumulated around his gums, which may require a professional deep cleaning.
Dr. Lai believes that although Kennedy’s gums look healthy, the accumulation of tartar can easily lead to gingivitis.
He also said that Kennedy, like his peers, grew up with fluoridated drinking water, and this generation should have a lower incidence of tooth decay than before.
Fluoride helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening tooth enamel and inhibiting the production of acid by caries-causing bacteria. Although Kennedy opposed fluoride additions on the grounds of child development problems, critics pointed out that his arguments ignored more important factors such as lead exposure and poverty, and that the data used were inconsistent.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Dental Association (ADA) said there was no scientific evidence to support a link between fluoride and decreased IQ.
Dr. Lai emphasized that the practice of adding fluoride to drinking water since the 1960s has not brought obvious negative effects. On the contrary, the incidence of tooth decay dropped significantly from the 1970s to the 1990s, and the oral health of rural children has also improved.
Toronto dentist Dr. Mohammed Khoshid analyzed a photo of Kennedy and believed that the white stripes on the teeth were more likely to be food residues or surgical protective patches rather than harmful tartar.
New York City dentist Dr. Sandip Sachar also said that there was almost no obvious tartar on Kennedy’s teeth, but the details of the photo were difficult to judge.
He noted that Kennedy’s teeth had slight discoloration and wear, indicating a history of vigorous brushing or grinding, but no severe decay or enamel damage, which also suggests that fluoride may have played a protective role.
Although studies have shown that excessive fluoride (more than 1.5 mg per liter) may slightly affect IQ, the concentration of fluoride in drinking water is usually controlled below 0.7 mg/L, and there is no evidence of reduced IQ. A large number of studies have shown that fluoridated drinking water effectively reduces the incidence of tooth decay and caries.
As early as 1956, after the city of Newburgh, New York, implemented fluoridation water treatment, the rate of tooth decay in children decreased significantly. Similarly, within six years of adopting fluoride in Evanston, Illinois, tooth decay decreased by 57%.
However, with the rise of the anti-fluoridation movement, many states and cities in the United States have stopped adding fluoride, and dentists are worried that this will lead to a resurgence of tooth decay and gum disease. Since Alaska took the lead in canceling mandatory fluoridation in 2007, about 200 small cities have followed suit.
Dr. Coshid said the anti-fluoridation movement is frustrating because scientific evidence clearly supports that fluoride is both safe and effective at recommended doses.
Opponents often distort data to undermine public health efforts, and scientific evidence remains the best way to resolve controversy.
Robert Kennedy Jr. himself admitted that non-fluoridated water may lead to increased tooth decay. In an interview, he pointed out that it is a question of balance. Although fluoride is not used in some parts of Europe, tooth decay rates have not increased significantly. He believes that parents should have the right to decide whether to use fluoride based on scientific information.
In fact, fluoride is not completely banned in Europe, but its application is less popular than in the United States. Overall, fluoride is still recognized as an important oral health protection measure worldwide.