Eliminating fluoridation estimated to increase dental caries prevalence, total number of decayed teeth, and up costs<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Cessation of public water fluoridation would increase tooth decay and health system costs in the United States, according to a study published online May 30 in JAMA Health Forum<\/em>.<\/p>\n Sung Eun Choi, Ph.D., from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Lisa Simon, M.D., D.M.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, both in Boston, examined the cost-effectiveness of cessation of public water fluoridation and associations with oral health among children aged 0 to 19 years. Changes in total tooth decay, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and costs associated with removal of fluoride in public water systems during five- and 10-year periods were estimated in a microsimulation model constructed based on oral health and water fluoridation data for 8,484 children from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013 to 2016.<\/p>\n The researchers found that dental caries prevalence and total number of decayed teeth were estimated to increase by 7.5 percentage points and by 25.4 million cases in the base-case scenario of eliminating fluoridation, with a loss of 2.9 million QALYs at a cost of $9.8 billion over five years. Lower, but still substantial harms were seen in sensitivity analyses estimating less efficacy from fluoridation. For a 10-year horizon, estimates increased compared to a five-year horizon. Compared to those with private dental insurance, increased tooth decay would disproportionately affect publicly insured and uninsured children.<\/p>\n “These findings suggest that, despite the potential harms of excessive fluoride exposure, fluoridation at safe levels offers both individual and societal benefits that would be at risk,” the authors write.<\/p>\n