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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[–] Loce@lemmy.world 14 points 15 hours ago

They should put lead back into gasoline as well, while they're at it...and asbestos in a baby powder.

[–] thingAmaBob@lemmy.world 10 points 16 hours ago

When I was younger, I was confused as to why fluoride was in water, since we would receive regular fluoride tablets in grade school. I’m sure not every school does that…

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 8 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Somewhere there's a cabal of dentists sitting around a table in a dark and shadowy room cackling madly

[–] rarbg@lemmy.zip 12 points 18 hours ago

Slaps dental premiums this baby is going places!

[–] DarkFuture@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago

I think I'm well past the point of caring if a bunch of conservative's teeth fall out.

As for those living there that are smarter than their conservative neighbors, honestly, we're heading toward a future in this country where you may actually need to move to a blue state to have a decent future. Sorry.

[–] Naevermix@lemmy.world 17 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

The tooth fairy economy is about to face an inflation crisis.

[–] WhatSay@slrpnk.net 32 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Want job security? Become a dentist

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[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 2 points 14 hours ago

In a few years americans will be known for their bad teeth like the English are now

The (d/m)ental decline in the US is real...

[–] indomara@lemmy.world 42 points 1 day 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!

[–] JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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

[–] riskable@programming.dev 1 points 18 hours ago

Conservatives are concerned that the miniscule chance of fluoride reducing children's IQ is enough to cause children to grow up to be conservatives.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Makes you listen to pop music.

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[–] SpiceDealer@lemmy.world 45 points 1 day ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (2 children)

Oh for fuck's sake, how many times does this bullshit have 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.

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

Curious if anyone can weigh in on this - is there much benefit to having fluorinated drinking water if you brush twice a day with fluorinated toothpaste and rinse with flourinated mouthwash?

I distill all my drinking water, but it's to remove PFAS and all the other garbage we've polluted the earth with. Not because of flouride.

[–] Lyrl@lemm.ee 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

My understanding is the most benefit is to children whose teeth are still growing, then secondarily to adults who have substandard dental hygiene. An otherwise healthy adult with good dental care routines is the least impactful case.

Going off on the tangent of distilled water: distilled water can reduce overall minerals in the diet. From WebMD https://www.webmd.com/diet/distilled-water-overview

Distilled water lacks even electrolytes like potassium and other minerals your body needs. So you may miss out on a bit of these micronutrients if you drink only the distilled stuff. Some studies have found a link between drinking water low in calcium and magnesium and tiredness, muscle cramps, weakness, and heart disease

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

That's been debunked - we get so few minerals from water for our diet that it's almost nothing anyway. Almost everything is from solid foods or non-water liquids.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] douglasg14b@lemmy.world 9 points 20 hours ago

It's because critical thinking is a dead skill in this country.

We have essentially trained an entire generation to not rely on critical thinking skills anymore. And apparently in the process of graduating a second generation of the same.

It is the plot of Idiocracy. Where the people don't even understand the things that affect them on a day-to-day basis they just know that "it's what plants crave"

[–] Labtec6@lemmy.ca 184 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] wildncrazyguy138@fedia.io 87 points 1 day 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.

[–] cybersin@lemm.ee 35 points 1 day ago (9 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!

[–] wildncrazyguy138@fedia.io 26 points 1 day ago

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

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[–] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 103 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 1 points 20 hours ago

"Utah now has zero reported cavities! We were right to ban fluoride."

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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.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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?

[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 5 points 20 hours ago

Uh, yeah. About that last part...

[–] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 26 points 1 day 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.

[–] datavoid@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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

[–] pyre@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago

you underestimate how fragile teeth can be

[–] collapse_already@lemmy.ml 52 points 1 day ago (5 children)

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

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[–] Kanzar@sh.itjust.works 45 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

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

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 68 points 1 day ago (4 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.

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