Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back against comments from the American Dental Association that criticized the state surgeon general’s opposition to fluoride, The Miami Times reported May 22.
In November, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, recommended against community water fluoridation, citing potential neuropsychiatric risks associated with fluoride exposure and referring to water fluoridation as “medical malpractice.”
The ADA opposed Dr. Ladapo’s remarks, stating they are “dangerous” and can harm the oral health of residents in the state.
Mr. DeSantis, who recently signed legislation to ban fluoride from being added to public water supplies in Florida, reportedly told Fox News the ADA does not “trust people to take care of themselves.”
“I think we’re better off letting people make their own decisions when it comes to this,” he said. “I understand that there’s different entities that believe in these forced interventions. Our view in Florida is that we’ve got to focus on informed consent. And that’s what we’ve done here.”
