this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2025
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AI Summary:

  • Utah is poised to ban fluoride in public water systems, pending the governor's signature.
  • The bill prohibits adding fluoride to public water and repeals previous related laws.
  • Federal health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticized fluoride, influencing the bill.
  • Studies on fluoride’s impact on children's IQ have mixed results, with some showing negative effects and others showing no harm.
  • Major public health groups support fluoridation for dental health benefits.
  • The anti-fluoridation movement has gained popularity post-Covid-19.
  • Similar legislation is proposed in Florida, emphasizing the importance of consent in public health measures.
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[–] indomara 9 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Want to see what happens when you do this?

https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/childrens-headline-indicators/contents/indicator-7

Notice the two states with the highest rates of dental decay are Queensland and Northern Territory?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_in_Australia

Yeah, those states didn't get flouride in their water until around 2012.

Such a coincidence...

It's also completely silly because many places have naturally fluoridated water!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

Yes but what about all the autism. Or mind controlling. Or whatever the hell it is that fluoride is evil for?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

To finally stop the conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.

[–] SpiceDealer 18 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Oh for fuck's sake, how many times does this bullshit nave to be debunked?!

Here's a paper that puts this nonsense to rest.

And if that's too "elitist" for you here's not one but two Youtube videos.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 hours ago

People are going to be whining about cavities, in fact people who went flouride free toothpaste and complained they got cavities and blamed in on the effectiveness of the toothpaste

[–] cley_faye 5 points 4 hours ago

Sadly, this is unlikely to lead to the death of people, so it won't be reverted in a week, but have long lasting effects. I guess it's not a problem as long as there's a decent health infrastructure to hold up the increased issues, right?

[–] [email protected] 22 points 9 hours ago

RFK Jr. has criticized fluoride

Yeah see, that right there is the only thing you really need to see that the ban is a bad idea.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 8 hours ago

I've seen this parks and rec episode

[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

Shit; the serial killer sympathizers, racist, cousin fuckers, are about to add this to the list

Sorry to all my brits, I know this hits home.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

To be fair, you can have more cavities and still not eat rocks

[–] pyre 5 points 3 hours ago

you underestimate how fragile teeth can be

[–] [email protected] 8 points 8 hours ago

DōTerra probably also behind this to an extent. Gotta find new ways to sell "essential" oils.

[–] [email protected] 149 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Dental issues increased in Calgary and they voted to put it back.

[–] [email protected] 72 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

This is the way. The idiots have been coddled for generations. They need to have the experience of their teeth rotting out for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 11 hours ago (2 children)

And what about the other 49% they dragged down with them? You've also just made everyone's dental insurance 10x more expensive. Thanks!

[–] indomara 3 points 3 hours ago (2 children)

For anyone in a state without fluoridated water, you can get fluoride drops to put in your/your children's water.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 45 minutes ago

Why not just brush their teeth? I'm pretty sure fluoridated toothpaste is much easier to come by than fluoride drops.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

I grew up with well water and we didn’t have naturally occurring water.

Our doctor prescribed us a chewable tablet we took every night after dinner.

Didn’t get my first, and only, cavity until I was 35.

My ex-wife who grew up with me had a dad who was “they’re putting gay vaccines in our fluoride to turn our cavities to queers” type and they didn’t …. Cavity city.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 11 hours ago

If you needed one last excuse to get out of Utah, then let this be it.

[–] adam_y 12 points 13 hours ago

I bet the idiots have shares in the dental industry though.

[–] [email protected] 89 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

next up (unless it happened first): no more data collection or research about statewide dental health

[–] Ghostalmedia 31 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Insurance companies will still collect it since they need to pay out for a lot of this shit. We’ll also be able to quantify this impact by looking at dental premiums and copays. They’ll eventually go up in states without fluoridated water.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 hours ago

Good Guy Insurance.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 13 hours ago

Or decline renewing your insurance.

[–] [email protected] 48 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Utah poised to overtake UK as butt of bad teeth jokes.

[–] ByteJunk 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

EU countries don't add fluoride to the water supply. At least half of the US seems to have cognitive impairment, by the way they vote.

Maybe they're on to something?

/s

[–] 9bananas 5 points 4 hours ago

important to note about the "not adding Fluoride" bit: many countries have to remove fluoride from drinking water because there's too much of it...

[–] [email protected] 42 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (7 children)

Dentists in ~~Florida~~ Utah: yesssss thanks for the increased business!

[–] [email protected] 62 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

The Utah dental association was strongly against it. Dentists already make good money and most of them actually care about their patients health.

Dental health is also strongly correlated with cardiovascular disease and other diseases.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah I'm in dental myself (another country), and when anti-fluoride patients come in, we generally sassily remark that we thank them for keeping us in business. Bit of dark humour to see the silver lining in things, I guess?

There have certainly been dental clinics going out of business in the last few years, something quite unheard of - unlike other 'new businesses', the success rate of opening a new dental clinic was normally guaranteed (unlike say a new cafe).

If the general population want to remove one of the best public health initiatives, then so be it. We'll make hay while the sun shines.

[–] partial_accumen 7 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Bit of dark humour to see the silver lining in things, I guess?

Silver linings? Is that a dental filling turn of phrase? The joke doesn't work with composites though. :(

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)
[–] partial_accumen 7 points 11 hours ago

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm familiar with the saying, I thought you might be going for the double entendre. :)

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[–] mean_bean279 17 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

There’s Swig all over the place in Utah… it’s literally liquified sugar. The dentists in that state are going to have an absolutely stellar future as their customers increase.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA 7 points 12 hours ago

I'd agree, but Utah has an excessive glut of dentists. Folk who could be earning half a million annually working three days a week go to Utah and earn 75k.

[–] Ghostalmedia 16 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Up next in Utah, higher dental insurance premiums, copays, and deductibles.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

Or not even cover it all

[–] [email protected] 5 points 12 hours ago

Dentists’ wet dream.

[–] yesman 11 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Children's ice cream, Mandrake!

[–] dhork 6 points 14 hours ago

They're just protecting their precious bodily fluids

[–] bappity 6 points 14 hours ago

this is just sad

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