FDA Decision to Ban Ingestible Fluoride for Kids Triggers Clashes with the Dental Experts

In the United States, a decade-old way to clean the teeth for children is going to change now. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking action against having fluoride in children’s toothpaste. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking action against adding fluoride to the kids’ prescriptions.

The federal government has strong concerns about the long-term use of fluoride by children to avoid cavities. The health experts and some state legislatures are drawing attention to the extensive use of fluoride in the community water, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and other products, preventing tooth decay.

US FDA Aims to Remove Fluoride Supplements for Children from Market

In the US, just like in other parts of the world, fluoride is extensively used for dental health, particularly for children. Fluoride is a natural element found in water, soil, and air and has been extensively used in dental health products for a decade.

In the US, the community water supply contains fluoride, considering it a tooth-strengthening mineral, for tooth decay prevention and the best way to deal with dental cavities. Kennedy is now opposing the use of this mineral in the community water and other products, saying, without any evidence, that it is causing other health issues.

On Tuesday, the FDA claimed that ingested fluoride can alter the human microbiome; that is not safe as it does in a concentric way. Although it is not proven through any documentation. The research that the FDA claims is inconclusive and does not provide strong evidence for something serious like the change the FDA is making.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary was talking aobut the decision and says clearly,

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

The health secretary also agrees with the statement. Makary also says,

When it comes to children, we should err on the side of safety

FDA Fluoride Decision and Medical Expert’s Reaction

Kennedy has been notorious for presenting the health-related statements without any evidence. This time, he said,

Ending the use of ingestible fluoride is long overdue

On this, Erin Haley-Hitz, American Dental Hygienists’ Association president reacted,

There is no scientific evidence that fluoride at the recommended low levels affects gut microbiota

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The dental and medical health experts do not seem happy with the current decision. Margherita Fontana, professor and chair of the department of cariology and is working as the restorative sciences and endodontics at the University of Michigan says,

The only side effect that we know of from using fluoride is dental fluorosis, a cosmetic issue that leads to white or, in extreme cases, brown marks on teeth

But it seems that the government is not focusing on the facts and will do its work as they have decided.