Fluoride

Top five fluoride facts

    1. Fluoride is a natural mineral in the rocks, soil, water, and food.
    2. Fluoride strengthens teeth by attaching itself to the tooth’s surface and becoming part of the enamel.
    3. Too much fluoride can cause dental fluorosis, or white spots on the teeth, but the levels in the U.S. water are too low to cause this.
    4. Fluoride is not dangerous for children when used as intended. At safe levels, fluoride does not lower IQ.

Fluoride is not connected to cancer, autism, or kidney disease.

What is fluoride?

Fluoride is a natural mineral in the soil and water. Fluoride is also found in toothpaste and in foods and drinks we eat and drink every day, like grapes, spinach, carrots, tea, potatoes, and wheat. Fluoride makes teeth stronger by sticking to the outside of the tooth and becoming part of the enamel. The recommended level in water is 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water. This is equal to about 3 drops of water in a 55-gallon barrel.

More than 75 years of research show that adding fluoride to drinking water is safe, healthy to drink, and helps keep teeth strong and prevent cavities. Fewer cavities means less pain, fewer fillings or teeth pulled, and less time missed from school or work due to dental pain.

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Does fluoridated water have side effects?

Fluoride has been protecting the teeth of Americans for many years. Recently, some people have become worried about fluoride because of false or confusing information. In the past, the biggest concern about fluoride was dental fluorosis, which is when too much fluoride is used, causing white spots on the teeth. This is a cosmetic concern that is not harmful to your health. Any side effect of fluoride depends on how much fluoride a person uses. Using too much fluoride increases the chance of side effects.. At the recommended levels, fluoride in water and toothpaste is safe and helps prevent cavities.

Some people worry about fluoride and how it might affect children’s IQ scores. However, many of these studies are misleading. Research shows that possible IQ effects happen only at fluoride levels higher than 1.5 mg/L. This is twice the amount of fluoride used in the U.S. water system. This means the levels of fluoride in water are not high enough in the United States to cause harm to IQ. The fluoride levels in the U.S. water supplies are carefully controlled to keep the public safe.

Citations

    1. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2025, April 11). Fluoride: Health professional fact sheet. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Fluoride-HealthProfessional/
    2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 15). About community water fluoridation. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/about/index.html
    3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 15). Community water fluoridation facts. https://www.cdc.gov/oral-health/data-research/facts-stats/fast-facts-community-water-fluoridation.html
    4. American Dental Association. (2025). Fluoridation facts [E-book]. https://ebooks.ada.org/24ltpik/
    5. Public Health On Call. (2024, November 26). Why fluoride is in our water. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/why-is-fluoride-in-our-water
    6. Yale School of Public Health. (2025, February 11). What to know about fluoride’s impact on health. Yale University. https://ysph.yale.edu/research/information-sheets/fluoride/#why-is-fluoride-considered-controversial