American Dental Association President Brett Kessler, DDS, and Scott Smith, DDS, past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, published an editorial warning against efforts to eliminate community water fluoridation.
In the editorial, published Sept. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum, the two leaders lauded fluoride as a cornerstone of preventive dental care, particularly for children under Medicaid.
The editorial was published as several states consider banning water fluoridation. Utah and Florida recently became the first two states to ban the practice.
Drs. Kessler and Smith stated in their editorial that the mineral’s safety and efficacy has been “misrepresented” and that efforts to eliminate or restrict water fluoridation are based on “flawed studies and public confusion,” according to a Sept. 5 news release.
The leaders also urged readers to defend fluoridation policies at the local level and to advocate for science-based decision-making.
