Fluoridation Fails the US

US parents report that about 30% of children - approximately 8.6 million children ages 6 to 12 - have missed school due to an oral health problem, not just for routine dental checkups, according to data from the National Children’s Oral Health Survey conducted by the Delta Dental Plans Association

https://www.warrenrecord.com/news/article_4d518ee7-fa1c-4f3c-b5f0-69e0a9a881cb.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

This occurred after 8 decades of fluoridation, 7 decades of fluoridated toothpaste, a glut of fluoride dental products - in higher concentrations and different forms - applied and prescribed by several health and dental professionals and dental students  This overuse of fluoride created a new dental health epidemic - dental fluorosis (white spotted, yellow, brown and/or pitted teeth) now afflicting 70% of US children and adolescents.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651321005510

Yet, tooth decay is epidemic. 

https://justforkidspediatricdentistry.com/dental-awareness-day-childrens-tooth-decay-the-silent-epidemic-affecting-millions/

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Fluoridation Fails Australia

 3. Australia

Despite being 89% fluoridated, this Western country may come as a surprise on this list, but its statistics earn it the number 3 spot. Nearly half of all 6-year-olds have tooth decay in their baby teeth. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children between ages four and 15 are more likely to experience dental disease.

https://www.dentalproductsreport.com/view/5-countries-with-the-worst-oral-health

Fluoridation Has Failed the United States

"According to the CDC’s 2023 oral health surveillance data, tooth decay affects more than 50% of children aged 6–11, making it one of the most common chronic childhood diseases"

"State-level data provides additional insights into coverage effectiveness. States with robust Medicaid dental programs and higher reimbursement rates show notably better pediatric oral health indicators. Minnesota and Vermont, which maintain comprehensive public dental programs, report childhood cavity rates 25-30% lower than states with more limited public coverage options".

 https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/why-dental-insurance-is-important-for-kids-oral-health-and-well-being/

 

Japan: No Fluoride & No Cavities

Japan study demolishes the basis for artificial fluoridation programs in the US by proving fluoride isn't essential for decay-free teeth. Fluoridation has been exported to other countries without being fully vetted by receiving nations. Everyone trusted the "other guy" to do the research.

"Japan experienced a near-continuous decline in caries among 12-year-olds over approximately 40 years, reaching a national mean DMFT [tooth decay rate] of 0.53 in 2023 - well below levels historically reported in populations exposed to systemic fluoride through community water fluoridation. This decline occurred without community water fluoridation [or any effective personal fluoride use]...Although sugar availability declined early, caries levels continued to fall long after sugar intake stabilized," according to ""A 40-year decline in permanent tooth caries among 12-year-olds in Japan in the absence of systemic fluoride-based prevention: public health implications"
This reflects the cumulative and synergistic effects of multiple modest changes in diet, early-life environments, health-system accessibility, and broader social conditions and represents a large-scale natural social experiment that highlights the additional pathways through which population-level gains can be achieved. “This analysis highlights insight that have long remained unrecognized – not because the evidence was unavailable, but because prevailing frameworks shaped what researchers expected to see” https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-026-27836-w To compare, in the US, after 8 decades of fluoridation, 7 decades of fluoride toothpaste (at 1,000 ppm and above), a fluoride saturated food supply, and a glut of fluoride dental products (in higher concentration and forms) tooth decay is epidemic along with fluoride-overdose (dental fluorosis) which afflicts 70% of US children and adolescents https://sciencedirect.com/science/articl e/pii/S0147651321005510 US 12-15 year-olds average 3.5 DMFT, according to the CDC https://cdc.gov/oral-health/php/2024-oral-health-surveillance-report/ohsr2024-table-10.html

Fluoridation Fails California

California mandated fluoridation in 1995.  In 2022 alone, dental problems caused more than 351,000 California children to miss at least one day of school.

"children with Medi-Cal coverage still could not get a dental appointment."

 About 70% of emergency room visits for dental conditions in Sacramento are preventable.
Some families eventually turn to hospital emergency departments for help, but emergency rooms are often unequipped to provide dental care, and they charge more than $2,400 on average to treat dental conditions. In 2021, more than 3,200 Sacramento residents ended up in emergency rooms for preventable dental conditions.

Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article315450064.html#storylink=cpy

Fluoridation Fails Illinois Where It's State-Mandated

In fluoridation-mandated Illinois, 41.6% of 3rd graders have cavities - 22.2% of 3rd graders have untreated tooth decay, according to the Illinois Dept of Health https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/oral-health/maternal-and-child-oral-health-programs/healthy-people-2030-illinois-children-vs-national-data-infograph.html#:~:text=Here%20are%20some%20health%20and%20human%20services,of%20adolescents%20(13%2D15%20year%2Dolds)%20receive%20recommended%20doses 

 

https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/prevention-wellness/oral-health/maternal-and-child-oral-health-programs/healthy-people-2030-illinois-children-vs-national-data-infograph.html#:~:text=Here%20are%20some%20health%20and%20human%20services,of%20adolescents%20(13%2D15%20year%2Dolds)%20receive%20recommended%20doses

Fluoridation Fails Australia

Despite a 90% fluoridation rate,  "The distance between ruined poor teeth and healthy, wealthy teeth is growing."

 A recent book memorialising the victims of the UK system includes details of a 57-year-old man found dead in his flat. His relatives discovered the lid of a shoebox in his cupboard holding two large molars and a pair of pliers.

Teeth are one of the most visible markers of poverty: structural circumstances that are individually borne.

In an essay for Aeon, US journalist Sarah Smarsh calls them “poor teeth”. She writes:

Often, bad teeth are blamed solely on the habits and choices of their owners, and for the poor therein lies an undue shaming […] Poor teeth […] beget not just shame but more poorness: people with bad teeth have a harder time getting jobs and other opportunities.

In the age of “whitened, straightened, veneered smiles”, the distance between ruined poor teeth and healthy, wealthy teeth is growing.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-07/teeth-reveal-growing-gap-rich-poor/106314470

Latino children left behind in California’s dental divide Despite Fluoridation state-wide mandate

 

Viewpoint: Latino children left behind in California’s dental divide 

In fluoridation state-mandated California, kids suffer tooth pain, cant eat, sleep, or concentrate at school because Clinics refuse Medi-Cal or available appointments are months away Hardworking parents do their best yet a simple cavity spirals into a serious health issue 

https://claremont-courier.com/latest-news/viewpoint-latino-children-left-behind-in-californias-dental-divide-86350/

Fluoridation State Mandated Kentucky Tooth Loss Common

In Kentucky, fluoridation is state-mandated, but "Tooth loss is common — and accepted as a normal situation — in many communities."

Dental Care is a Hidden Crisis

A former New Yorker described visible differences in the oral health of Kentuckians: “You really didn’t see people with like a whole bunch of missing teeth and then come down here and it’s like, wow. These women weren’t kidding when they were with, like a full set of teeth. It's something to brag about on dating sites” [U4-225]. Others noted the lack of dentists in their area and the difficulty scheduling appointments as evidenced by this quote, “There’s a shortage of dentists in the area… If I commit to a six-month dental cleaning, I’ve got to schedule my life around it” [A3-2200]. Others linked the poor dental outcomes to a lack of public investment: “Tooth loss is such an issue in Kentucky… I feel like some of the political leanings of our state, where we don’t offer the things as we should” [U3-1583]."

"Many participants discussed the problems with dental work that they have had, as well as mentioned having teeth removed as a normalized part of routine care"

"Provider shortages worsen health and disability. One participant described enduring pain and multiple infections as he waited about a year for a dentist to remove his wisdom teeth..." https://cdn.asclepiusinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Topline-Report-Final_9.16.25.pdf

Fluoridation Fails Texas

Despite a 71% fluoridation rate in Texas, " 53% of kindergarten students have experienced a cavity. Tooth decay for children at this age level is more common in low-income families. One in five kindergarten students in Texas has untreated decay. Oral health disparities exist in Texas, and this age is no exception. For example, Hispanic (58%) and Black (51%) children in Texas kindergarten classes are more likely to have experienced a cavity than White kids (46%)."

 https://txohc.org/communication/data-dashboard/community-water-fluoridation-report/

Fluoridation Fails South Dakota

 Despite a 94% fluoridation rate in South Dakota, "over half of children have experienced tooth decay, with higher rates among low-income, rural and tribal populations." https://newslj.com/oral-caries-prevention-south-dakota-challenges-and-opportunities

Fluoridation Fails Evansville, Indiana

In Evansville, Indiana, where the water is fluoridated, tooth decay is rising. "With tooth decay on the rise — 'Decay rates in our new patients are as high as I’ve ever seen them,...'”

https://evansvilleliving.com/ascension-st-vincent-mobile-dental-clinic/ "The need for dental care is great [in the US]: A three-year Centers For Disease Control & Prevention survey published in 2024 reported that nearly one in five children ages 6-8 years experienced decay in at least one baby tooth; in the same age group, that number rocketed to 50 percent with permanent teeth. The survey found children living at high or middle poverty levels are more than twice as likely to have untreated tooth decay." The US had a 73% fluoridation rate at the time of this survey.

Fluoridation Fails Shelby County, Tennessee

Despite fluoridation starting in 1970, total tooth loss increased in fluoridated Shelby County, Tennessee (home of Memphis), from 14.8% in 2020 to 21% in 2022

 https://healthiershelby.com/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=46&localeId=2558

Fluoridation Failed in the UK

In the UK, Wolverhampton, where the tap water has been fluoridated since 1986, "has the highest percentage of children with decayed, missing or filled teeth - at 42.7%" - British Dental Association, 1 Feb. 2024 https://www.bda.org/news-and-opinion/news/children-paying-the-price-for-dental-crisis/

Fluoridation Fails Arkansas

 In 2011, Arkansas passed a fluoridation state-wide mandate. Today (July 2025), “Sixty percent of Arkansas kids have received dental cavities,” Dr. Burke Soffee, founding dean of Lyon College School of Dental Medicine, said. “Which is a shocking statistic that certainly indicates that there is a need to break the cycle.” https://www.kark.com/news/health/lyon-college-school-of-dental-medicine-hosts-give-kids-a-smile-day-to-help-combat-arkansas-oral-health-crisis/