As Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo calls on cities and counties to remove fluoride from their water supplies, warnings are surfacing from communities that have faced the consequences of doing so.

RELATED: Florida Surgeon General Opposes Water Fluoridation, Calls It ‘Public Health Malpractice’

Some warn that eliminating fluoride—a measure the CDC calls one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century—can severely harm children’s dental health.

Fluoride Decisions Rest with Local Governments

In Florida, decisions about fluoridation are made by individual municipalities. Ladapo’s recent recommendation is not legally binding but has reignited debates.

For communities that have already removed fluoride, the outcomes serve as a cautionary tale.

Lessons from Calgary

Calgary, Canada, offers a striking example of the consequences. After removing fluoride from its water supply in 2011, the city saw a sharp rise in severe dental issues among children.

• The number of pediatric dental infections requiring IV antibiotics at one hospital increased by 700%.
• For children under five, the rate of those needing anesthesia for dental procedures doubled.
• For children aged six to eleven, it rose by 35%.

Juliet Guichon, a pro-fluoride activist in Calgary, recalls the devastating impact. “Children suffered so badly,” she said, citing reports of life-threatening infections linked to untreated dental decay.

In 2021, Calgary residents voted 62% in favor of reinstating fluoride, and it will return to the city’s water by 2025.

Florida’s New Debate

Ladapo, however, holds a different view. At a press conference in Winter Haven—one of the cities that recently removed fluoride—he praised the decision, citing studies that suggest fluoride might harm IQ, attention, and behavior.

“It is public health malpractice, with the information we have now, to continue adding fluoride to water systems in Florida,” Ladapo said. He advocates obtaining fluoride from other sources until more research is conducted.

Currently, about 80% of Floridians receive fluoridated water.

Local Resistance and Advocacy

Pinellas County, which briefly removed fluoride from its water in 2011, reinstated it in 2013 after a public outcry. Commissioner Janet Long, elected during that backlash, urged communities to resist the growing anti-fluoride sentiment.

“I don’t know what people are thinking,” Long said. “If I were running for office today, I’m not sure I’d be reelected.”

CDC and Public Health Endorsements

The CDC continues to endorse fluoridation, calling it a cost-effective and equitable strategy to prevent cavities, especially in underserved communities.

As Florida navigates this debate, public health officials and concerned citizens are watching closely, weighing the potential risks against decades of evidence supporting fluoride’s benefits.

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