Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Utahns might want to look at their toothpaste ingredients now that fluoride is banned from drinking water.
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on May 14, 2025, 4:00 AM
In January of 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city in the world to add fluoride to its public water supply. Then, the city—along with the U.S. Public Health Service, the Michigan Department of Health and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry—began a 10-year study to determine the effectiveness of fluoride in the prevention of tooth decay.
Grand Rapids was chosen because of its large population of school-age children and its closeness to Lake Michigan, which is mostly free of natural fluoride. By 1955, the study had shown a 65% reduction in tooth decay.
Fluoride was added to local water supplies in the 1940s and tooth decay, especially in children, declined. Researchers found that for every dollar spent on fluoridation, $20 (about $363 today) was saved in preventing dental procedures like cavity fillings.
On the flip side, scientists have also looked at what happens when you remove the chemical. In 2007, Juneau, Alaska, voted to stop adding fluoride to taps. Soon after, it was found that children under age 6 averaged an additional dental visit per year related to cavity procedures. In 2011, Calgary, Canada, banned fluoridation and within five years, cavities among elementary school children increased almost twofold. They ended up putting fluoride back into the water supply in 2021.
Taking fluoride out of our drinking water has a particular effect on lower-income families, whose children experience nearly three times the rate of untreated cavities than higher income families. A 2023 study by the American Dental Society found that only one in three dentists accept Medicaid, and other studies by that group have shown that children with poor teeth are more likely to withdraw from social participation, hide their smiles and have higher rates of school absenteeism.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has platformed concerns that fluoride causes bone cancer in children. But in 2022, the American Cancer Society conducted a study and concluded that there was no strong evidence to support those fears. Yes, a person can ingest too much fluoride—but doses in the water supply are minimal. Other countries that have banned fluoride offer free dental care for kids, whereas we don't make it easy or affordable for low-income families to get dental care.
Now that Utah has banned fluoride, Utahns can still protect their teeth by brushing with fluoridated toothpaste. And the Utah Department of Health provides free dental services through Bridging Communities and Clinics Dental Day Clinics. Additionally, Covering Kids Utah provides dental care at no cost to children who qualify. The Donated Dental Services (DDS) program also provides free comprehensive treatment to vulnerable individuals who cannot afford care or obtain public aid. Both the U. of U. School of Dentistry and Roseman University College of Dental Medicine offer free or discounted dental services through various programs for kids and adults.
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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