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Fluoride: Rinse, Spit, Debate - The Fluoride Dilemma
E6: Fluoride: Rinse, Spit, Debate - The Fluoride Dilemma
The most controversial thing in your bathroom isn’t your scale ... it’s your toothpaste.
Fluoride is everywhere—your tap water, your toothpaste, and maybe even your political debates. For decades, it’s been praised as a cavity-fighting hero, credited with cutting tooth decay by 25% and saving communities millions (CDC, n.d.; Johns Hopkins, 2024). But newer studies suggest there might be more to the story. Could fluoride also be linked to brain development issues, lower IQ in children, or even brittle bones at high exposures (National Toxicology Program, 2025; Harvard T.H. Chan, 2025; Reuters, 2024)?
In this episode, we trace fluoride’s strange journey—from “mottled teeth” in Colorado Springs to the first citywide experiment in Grand Rapids, Michigan (History.com, 2024)—and ask if one of public health’s greatest achievements might also carry hidden costs. With states like Utah banning fluoridation, Florida debating it, and new alternatives like hydroxyapatite toothpaste gaining traction (ScienceDirect, 2024), the future of fluoride has never been murkier.
This episode doesn’t settle the argument—it opens the debate.
______________________________________________________________
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Community water fluoridation: About fluoridation. https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/index.html
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Fluoride: Uses, benefits & side effects. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11195-fluoride
Gazette. (2024). Oral history: How a Colorado Springs dentist’s discovery paved the way for fluoridation. https://gazette.com/health/oral-history-how-a-colorado-springs-dentists-discovery-paved-the-way-for-nationwide-water-fluoridation/article_a2e600f0-b3db-11ef-a45f-3372aa9dfd96.html
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2025). Fluoride and children’s health: A conversation with Grandjean & Choi. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/
History.com Editors. (2024). Why American communities began adding fluoride to water. https://www.history.com/articles/fluoride-water-teeth-health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2024). Why is fluoride in our water?https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/why-is-fluoride-in-our-water
Keck School of Medicine of USC. (2025). Fluoride exposure during pregnancy linked to neurobehavioral problems. https://keck.usc.edu/news/fluoride-exposure-during-pregnancy-linked-to-increased-risk-of-childhood-neurobehavioral-problems-study-finds/
National Toxicology Program. (2025). Systematic review of fluoride exposure and neurodevelopmental and cognitive health effects. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/research/assessments/noncancer/completed/fluoride
Reuters. (2024). What is fluoride, why is it added to the U.S. water supply? https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-is-fluoride-why-is-it-added-us-water-supply-2024-11-25
ScienceDirect. (2024). Alternative to fluoride toothpaste succeeds in clinical trial. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/alternative-to-fluoride-toothpaste-succeeds-in-clinical-trial-376348
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By Harry RogueE6: Fluoride: Rinse, Spit, Debate - The Fluoride Dilemma
The most controversial thing in your bathroom isn’t your scale ... it’s your toothpaste.
Fluoride is everywhere—your tap water, your toothpaste, and maybe even your political debates. For decades, it’s been praised as a cavity-fighting hero, credited with cutting tooth decay by 25% and saving communities millions (CDC, n.d.; Johns Hopkins, 2024). But newer studies suggest there might be more to the story. Could fluoride also be linked to brain development issues, lower IQ in children, or even brittle bones at high exposures (National Toxicology Program, 2025; Harvard T.H. Chan, 2025; Reuters, 2024)?
In this episode, we trace fluoride’s strange journey—from “mottled teeth” in Colorado Springs to the first citywide experiment in Grand Rapids, Michigan (History.com, 2024)—and ask if one of public health’s greatest achievements might also carry hidden costs. With states like Utah banning fluoridation, Florida debating it, and new alternatives like hydroxyapatite toothpaste gaining traction (ScienceDirect, 2024), the future of fluoride has never been murkier.
This episode doesn’t settle the argument—it opens the debate.
______________________________________________________________
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Community water fluoridation: About fluoridation. https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/index.html
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Fluoride: Uses, benefits & side effects. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11195-fluoride
Gazette. (2024). Oral history: How a Colorado Springs dentist’s discovery paved the way for fluoridation. https://gazette.com/health/oral-history-how-a-colorado-springs-dentists-discovery-paved-the-way-for-nationwide-water-fluoridation/article_a2e600f0-b3db-11ef-a45f-3372aa9dfd96.html
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (2025). Fluoride and children’s health: A conversation with Grandjean & Choi. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/
History.com Editors. (2024). Why American communities began adding fluoride to water. https://www.history.com/articles/fluoride-water-teeth-health
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (2024). Why is fluoride in our water?https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/why-is-fluoride-in-our-water
Keck School of Medicine of USC. (2025). Fluoride exposure during pregnancy linked to neurobehavioral problems. https://keck.usc.edu/news/fluoride-exposure-during-pregnancy-linked-to-increased-risk-of-childhood-neurobehavioral-problems-study-finds/
National Toxicology Program. (2025). Systematic review of fluoride exposure and neurodevelopmental and cognitive health effects. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/research/assessments/noncancer/completed/fluoride
Reuters. (2024). What is fluoride, why is it added to the U.S. water supply? https://www.reuters.com/world/us/what-is-fluoride-why-is-it-added-us-water-supply-2024-11-25
ScienceDirect. (2024). Alternative to fluoride toothpaste succeeds in clinical trial. https://www.technologynetworks.com/drug-discovery/news/alternative-to-fluoride-toothpaste-succeeds-in-clinical-trial-376348