from Hacker News

FDA moves to ban fluoride supplements for kids, removing a key tool for dentists

by healsdata on 5/14/25, 3:39 AM with 43 comments

• by _aavaa_ on 5/14/25, 11:27 AM

  Flashback to a few weeks ago when RFK's anti-water-floridation stance was once again in the news and countless people were ready to go to bat for him: "No, he's just removing the mandatory health experiment of fluoride in the water. If you want to go out and get fluoride supplements nobody will stop you".

  Give it a few more weeks, and it will be banned from toothpastes too.

• by amanaplanacanal on 5/14/25, 4:33 AM

  I was under the impression that in general you want Fluoride to be topically applied to teeth, and not swallowed. Perhaps I was misinformed.

• by fazeirony on 5/14/25, 12:06 PM

  we moved to a rural area in 2005 with clean, but unfluoridated well water. had a son. brushes twice daily for 2 minutes a time like everyone else in the house.

  he had an excessive amount of cavities and the dentist did not use any supplementation. This was painful and unnecessary for my son (we stopped using that dentist when it was clear this isn't 'normal').

  i realize this is n=1. but apparently calgary [0] also realized this was having an opposite effect as well. (yes i realize this is slightly different than supplementation in the parent article but the supplementation would have saved my kid from unnecessary cavities.)

  [0] https://www.npr.org/2024/12/13/nx-s1-5224138/calgary-removed...

  EDIT: clarity on 'supplementation'

• by Alifatisk on 5/14/25, 6:11 AM

  Had to look this up because I got the impression that they banned flouride for toothpaste and mouthwash too, this is not the case obviously. The recent FDA move targets prescription fluoride supplements that are swallowed, such as tablets and drops.

• by MetricT on 5/14/25, 8:40 PM

  I grew up drinking well water, and had an ever-growing mouthful of cavities. In junior high I had more teeth with fillings than without. That mercifully ended when the dentist prescribed daily fluoride tablets for me and my brother.

  Anyone who thinks banning fluoride is a good idea, you don't have a single clue what you're talking about. Not one.

• by ChrisArchitect on 5/14/25, 2:48 PM

  Related:

  Statewide fluoride ban for tap water passes in Florida

  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43843547

• by ryandrake on 5/14/25, 5:00 AM

  It feels as though we are on the path toward the government endorsing essential oils, homeopathy, psychics and Ouija Boards. All because one person perceives “science” as a political opponent.