Here in the United States, the current administration is considering a nationwide ban on adding

fluoride to public water. Is this a long overdue correction of bad policy or a public health

disaster in the making? Today, we're going to take a look at the arguments for and against

this very widespread practice.

Hello and welcome to the Nutrition Diva podcast, a show where we take a closer look at food

and nutrition news, research, and trends so that you can make more informed choices

about what you eat. I'm your host, Monica Reinagle, and today we're going to take an

objective look at the arguments for and against the practice of adding fluoride to public

water supplies. Fluoride has been added to public water for decades, primarily to prevent tooth decay.

In fact, many health experts regard this as one of the greatest public health achievements

of the 20th century, right up there with folic acid fortification programs that dramatically

reduced the incidence of devastating

birth defects. Or the iodine fortification of salt, which significantly reduced cognitive

impairments due to iodine deficiency. Nevertheless, fluoridation has also been an ongoing source of debate and controversy,

with critics raising concerns about health risks, ethical implications, and environmental impacts.

Most recently, moves by the current U.S. administration to potentially ban water fluoridation nationwide have

reignited this decades-old debate. So in today's episode, we'll take an objective look at

both sides of the controversy. As I said, the primary purpose of water fluoridation is to prevent

tooth decay, and it does this by making your tooth enamel

stronger and more resistant to the acids produced by bacteria in your mouth. And it also helps

repair early stages of decay before actual cavities form. And the practice is very effective in reducing cavities or carries

in both adults and children. The first fluoridation trial began in Grand Rapids, Michigan, back in

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