Florida recently became the second state to sign into law a ban on fluoride in public water systems, joining a wave of local and statewide efforts to restrict community fluoridation. The policy takes effect in July 2025. Meanwhile, FDA announced last week plans to remove ingestible fluoride supplements for children from the market.
Dr. Tomitra Latimer, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, warns these moves jeopardize children's health - particularly those in low-income, rural and medically vulnerable communities. Latimer also is a pediatrician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.
"Dental cavities are one of the most common - and most preventable - childhood diseases," said Latimer, who also is the medical director at Lurie Children's Pediatrics at Deming, a clinic serving many children living in poverty. "Fluoridated water is a proven, cost-effective way to protect kids, especially where dental care is limited."
