Utah Becomes First State to Ban Community Water Fluoridation

Utah has banned the fluoridation of public drinking water after Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill into law on Thursday. The bill passed the state’s House and Senate and was awaiting the signature of Governor Cox to become official.

FAN comments on Utah’s historic decision to ban water fluoridation statewide:

“What Utah has accomplished is historic, a huge step forward,” said Rick North, board member of the Fluoride Action Network (FAN), which won a landmark ruling in a lawsuit against the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/e5j0BKQNrl

— Fluoride Action Network (@FluorideAction) March 30, 2025

In August, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) completed its study and determined that fluoride levels of 1.5 mg per liter are associated with lower IQ in children. In the United States, the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water is 0.7 mg, but the report states that approximately 0.6% of the US population consumes water with fluoride at 1.5 mg.

Fluoride toothpaste typically has “about 1.3 mg in a quarter teaspoon, a typical amount of toothpaste used for one brushing,” according to the NIH. Fluoride toothpaste is required to have a warning label that states, “Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If more than used for brushing is accidentally swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.”

In September, a seven-year-long court battle between the Fluoride Action Network and the EPA concluded that fluoridated water is an “unreasonable risk to human health.” As a result of that ruling, the EPA is required to begin rulemaking procedures to eliminate the threat, but Robert F. Kennedy said the process can take up to seven years to complete.

Attorney Michael Connett, who argued the case against the EPA, encouraged local municipalities to take steps to remove fluoride from the water. He said “One of the important things here is that policymakers at the local level, regional level, state level, they don’t need to wait for the EPA to take action here. We have a very detailed, thorough, comprehensive decision by the federal court based on extensive expert testimony from both sides. The EPA put up their best, we put up our best and the judge vetted all of the evidence.”

Utah has been one of the lowest fluoridated states in the country, ranking 44th in the nation for the percentage of residents who receive fluoridated water. The Associated Press conducted an analysis and determined 66 out of 484 Utah water systems are currently fluoridated. The largest fluoridated water system in the state is in Salt Lake City.

The American Dental Association released a statement opposing the bill’s passage. ADA President Brett Kessler, D.D.S., said, “As a father and a dentist, it is disheartening to see that a proven, public health policy, which exists for the greater good of an entire community’s oral health, has been dismantled based on distorted pseudo-science.”

The statement draws attention to the CDC’s endorsement of community water fluoridation to reduce dental cavities. The statement says that water fluoridation is safe but does not provide a counter statement to the NTP study or the landmark court case that deemed water fluoridation to be an unreasonable health risk.

The HighWire has reported potential conflicts of interest related to the ADA and fluoride. Corporations that sell fluoride products like toothpaste and mouthwash pay the ADA for a “seal of approval.” The pay-to-play endorsement feature helps corporations sell more dental products containing fluoride.

The ADA and the ADA Forsyth Institute (AFI) announced the creation of “ADA Corporate Partners” in November, which held its inaugural meeting in January. The Forsyth Institute describes itself as “a top-tier NIH-funded research institute focused on exploring the connections between oral health and overall well-being, with over a century-long legacy of changing the oral health landscape.” The About Me section adds, “ADA Forsyth scientists were among those who discovered that fluoride could help prevent cavities.”

During an X-spaces podcast, Connett explained that the evidence linking community water fluoridation to decreased cavities and increased oral health outcomes is weak. Connett said, “If you look at the cavity rates in Europe according to WHO data, they’re generally lower and often just as low as the United States. They’ve seen the same dramatic declines in tooth decay over the past 50-60 years that we’ve seen here in the United States. Dentists here in the United States, many of them, claim it is a result of adding fluoride to the water.”

Connett has pointed out the discrepancies between water fluoridation levels and outcomes that counter the claims about the effectiveness of water fluoridation in preventing cavities. 66% of citizens in the United States drink fluoridated water. Most European countries don’t fluoridate the water at all, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands. 14% of the public drinks fluoridated water in the United Kingdom.

A Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) report was released in 2017 comparing dental health outcomes among developed nations. The report establishes a number for each nation that represents the number of teeth out of 20 that are either decayed, missing, or filled. A lower number reflects a better dental health outcome for the country. The United States is 9th on the list with 1.2.

1.) Denmark – 0.4 – No community water fluoridation

2.) Germany – 0.5 – No WF

3.) Finland – 0.7 – No WF

4.) United Kingdom – 0.8 – 11% WF

5.) Sweden – 0.8 – No WF

6.) Switzerland – 0.9 – No WF

7.) Canada – 1.0 – 38.8% WF

8.) Mexico – 1.1 – No WF

9.) United States – 1.2 – 66% WF

10.) France – 1.2 – No WF

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued guidance in November recommending against the practice of community water fluoridation. He wrote, “Due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, particularly in pregnant women and children, and the wide availability of alternative sources of fluoride for dental health, the State Surgeon General recommends against community water fluoridation.”

Several municipalities in Florida have followed Dr. Ladapo’s guidance and have discontinued the practice, including Naples, Stuart, Winter Haven, Melbourne, Niceville, and Ormond Beach.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis recently expressed support for Dr. Ladapo’s recommendation and said he believes HHS will lean in the same direction. Desantis said,  “Do we want forced medication, or do we want people to be able to choose medication? When you are forcing it into the water supply, that’s not really giving people a choice.”

HHS Secretary Kennedy said before the election that the Trump administration would “advise all US water systems to remove fluoride from public water.”