The American Dental Association said March 28 that it is disappointed that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill that prohibits fluoride from being added to public water supplies in the state.
Several organizations, including the ADA, urged Gov. Cox to veto HB81 before he signed it into law March 27, making Utah the first state to implement a statewide water fluoridation ban.
The ADA reiterated the benefits of community water fluoridation in a news release shared with Becker’s, calling the denial of such measures “disgraceful.”
The organization also shared the negative impact ending water fluoridation had in other communities, including in Windsor, Canada, and Juneau, Ala. These decisions resulted in higher rates of tooth decay and cavity-related dental procedures as well as increased treatment costs.
“As a father and a dentist, it is disheartening to see that a proven, public health policy, which exists for the greater good of an entire community’s oral health, has been dismantled based on distorted pseudo-science,” ADA President Brett Kessler, DDS, said in the news release. “We urge legislators and voters across the country not to make Utah’s significant mistake, and, instead, to trust credible data and science which shows that optimally fluoridating community water is safe, effective and helps prevent dental disease.”
