U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II has introduced legislation that aims to protect oral health policy from politicization and ensure it is backed by non-partisan science.
The Protect Our Treatment for Enamel, Erosion and Tooth Health Act, or TEETH Act, would require the Environmental Protection Agency to consult and publish research by independent and nonpartisan experts at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine when proposing new water fluoridation guidance.
Water fluoridation came under scrutiny several months ago after the National Toxicology Program released a heavily contested report stating that drinking water with more than double the recommended limit was associated with lower IQ levels in children. A federal judge ruled last September that EPA must address the impact fluoride has in drinking water. EPA has since appealed the ruling.
Rep. Cleaver said July 21 that Congress should utilize nonpartisan, independent experts when making public health decisions.
“Unfortunately, as we’ve seen with the undermining of life-saving vaccines under the secretary of Health and Human Services, we’re witnessing the politicization of public health, and we cannot allow this infection to spread in the same way that cavities can,” he said in a news release.
The American Dental Association endorsed the bill, stating that the legislation would reinforce public trust in federal health guidance and help combat misinformation.
