The modeling estimates don’t account for other costs, like parents’ lost work.

Once hailed as a triumph of public health, water fluoridation is now under intense attack in the US.

Despite decades of data proving its efficacy at protecting teeth from decay—particularly children’s teeth—two states have now banned the use of fluoride in public water, and communities around the country have followed suit or are considering doing the same. The current US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known for his anti-vaccine advocacy and for peddling conspiracy theories, has pledged to remove fluoride from US water.

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    28·
    6 days ago

    I grew up drinking unfluoridated water (my family still has no access to municipal water) and have had dental problems all my life. Probably not the only reason, but I’m sure it didn’t help. These kids are in for literal and financial pain.

    • Aganim@lemmy.world
      12·
      6 days ago

      In the Netherlands we stopped adding fluoride to the drinking water decades ago, amongst others because of a dramatic increase in reported migraines and bowel issues during the period we did add it. Stopping fluoridation didn’t cause any dental Armageddon, so it is definitely possible to get rid of it without adverse effects.

      However, and here lies the issue I suspect, we actually have decent dental care, brushing your teeth is ingrained from early on and almost every toothpaste contains fluoride.

        • iglou@programming.dev
          1·
          5 days ago

          Yep, although not as white but that’s because we’re not massive fans of all these whitening stuff.

      • DMCMNFIBFFF@lemmy.world
        1·
        5 days ago

        wp:Water fluoridation by country#Europe

        Out of a population of about three-quarters of a billion, under 14 million people (approximately 2%) in Europe receive artificially-fluoridated water. Those people are in the UK (5,797,000), Republic of Ireland (4,780,000), Spain (4,250,000), and Serbia (300,000).[27]

        …

        Many European countries have rejected water fluoridation, including: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland,[68] Scotland,[69] Iceland, and Italy.[70] A 2003 survey of over 500 Europeans from 16 countries concluded that “the vast majority of people opposed water fluoridation”.[71]

    • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
      12·
      6 days ago

      Hurting kids is a great conservative pastime despite how much time they spend thinking of the children.

      • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
        9·
        6 days ago

        Education, healthcare, social safety nets, school lunches…It’s pretty much conservatives punching children while saying “stop punching yourself,” the whole way down.