Water fluoridation reprieve for America?

Ripples in America can sometimes become waves in Australia. The dental profession must remain vigilant to ensure that water fluoridation continues as a central plank of our dental public health system

Last year I spoke about the impact a Trump presidency might have for oral health in Australia. I was specifically concerned about the promise that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, made in November last year that Trump would advise states to end water fluoridation on day one of his presidency.

We have now seen Trump issue a suite of Executive Orders (a unique aspect of American politics) ranging from withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation to officially recognising only two genders. Fortunately absent from those orders is any move on water fluoridation.

This may well rest on Kennedy’s current nomination process, which appears to be in jeopardy as a result of his controversial views on a range of health issues including vaccination and fluoridation. So whilst the USA has appeared to have dodged a bullet right now, there is no reason to drop our guard here in Australia.

This week I co-wrote an opinion piece with paediatric dentist Dr Tim Key on water fluoridation with a focus on Queensland, where a number of councils have already removed fluoride from their water supply, and others are in the process of doing so. Presently 50 of Queensland’s 77 councils do not have fluoride in their water, and only around 75% of the Queenslanders have access to fluoridated drinking water – much lower than the 90% across the rest of the country.

At its core, access to water fluoridation is about equity. It ensures that every child, regardless of where they live or their family’s income, has a chance to grow up with healthy teeth and without preventable pain. In Queensland, where children are already grappling with high rates of decay and insufficient dental services, fluoridation is not a luxury – it is a necessity.

We are only days into the new Trump administration, and a lot can (and likely will) happen over the next four years regardless of whether Kennedy is appointed in an official role. There will likely be ongoing legal action to challenge the legitimacy of fluoridation in the USA, and this will embolden action here in Australia. As a profession, we must remain vigilant.