Pien Huang

The science is clear, Emily. Fluoridating water lowers the numbers of cavities in people, which it does by restoring minerals to teeth that are lost when bacteria grow inside the mouth, especially after, like, say, drinking sugary drinks. And this is especially useful for lower-income families who might not have access to fluoride products like toothpastes and mouth rinses.

There's a study by the Colorado School of Public Health which found that adding fluoride to the water saved around $6.8 billion in dental expenses in one year alone.

There's a study by the Colorado School of Public Health which found that adding fluoride to the water saved around $6.8 billion in dental expenses in one year alone.

There's a study by the Colorado School of Public Health which found that adding fluoride to the water saved around $6.8 billion in dental expenses in one year alone.

Yeah. So ever since it started, there's been this debate over fluoridating water. Our colleagues Jeff Brumfield and Selena Simmons-Duffin have reported about conspiracy theories surrounding fluoride in drinking water. There was this time in the 1960s when the John Birch Society, this far-right group, alleged that it was part of a communist plot.

Yeah. So ever since it started, there's been this debate over fluoridating water. Our colleagues Jeff Brumfield and Selena Simmons-Duffin have reported about conspiracy theories surrounding fluoride in drinking water. There was this time in the 1960s when the John Birch Society, this far-right group, alleged that it was part of a communist plot.

Yeah. So ever since it started, there's been this debate over fluoridating water. Our colleagues Jeff Brumfield and Selena Simmons-Duffin have reported about conspiracy theories surrounding fluoride in drinking water. There was this time in the 1960s when the John Birch Society, this far-right group, alleged that it was part of a communist plot.

And there are lots of other theories around it as well, different versions that reflected the concerns of their times. But meanwhile, the scientific understanding is also evolving, which brings us to this latest research in JAMA Pediatrics. It was done by government scientists at the National Toxicology Program. That's the part of the NIH that you mentioned earlier. Uh-huh, with that August report.

And there are lots of other theories around it as well, different versions that reflected the concerns of their times. But meanwhile, the scientific understanding is also evolving, which brings us to this latest research in JAMA Pediatrics. It was done by government scientists at the National Toxicology Program. That's the part of the NIH that you mentioned earlier. Uh-huh, with that August report.

And there are lots of other theories around it as well, different versions that reflected the concerns of their times. But meanwhile, the scientific understanding is also evolving, which brings us to this latest research in JAMA Pediatrics. It was done by government scientists at the National Toxicology Program. That's the part of the NIH that you mentioned earlier. Uh-huh, with that August report.

That's the one. And like we were saying, they just published a study in JAMA Pediatrics that looks at a few dozen studies that other people have conducted. And it finds this link between high levels of fluoride and a small decrease in children's IQ. Now, it's not totally definitive. This is something that they're saying with moderate confidence.

That's the one. And like we were saying, they just published a study in JAMA Pediatrics that looks at a few dozen studies that other people have conducted. And it finds this link between high levels of fluoride and a small decrease in children's IQ. Now, it's not totally definitive. This is something that they're saying with moderate confidence.

That's the one. And like we were saying, they just published a study in JAMA Pediatrics that looks at a few dozen studies that other people have conducted. And it finds this link between high levels of fluoride and a small decrease in children's IQ. Now, it's not totally definitive. This is something that they're saying with moderate confidence.

So moderate confidence is basically like a grade that they put on the quality of evidence that's available to them. It's not low quality. It's not high quality. It's enough to say something with moderate confidence. Does that make sense?

So moderate confidence is basically like a grade that they put on the quality of evidence that's available to them. It's not low quality. It's not high quality. It's enough to say something with moderate confidence. Does that make sense?

So moderate confidence is basically like a grade that they put on the quality of evidence that's available to them. It's not low quality. It's not high quality. It's enough to say something with moderate confidence. Does that make sense?

Yeah. Science. So many words. Yeah. And while this conclusion is not new, this research has already been quite influential in the debate over fluoride in drinking water. It was accompanied by two op-eds in the paper that was published on Monday. One questioned its methods, disagreed with its conclusions, and the other fully supported it. I spoke with Dr. Bruce Lanphier.

Yeah. Science. So many words. Yeah. And while this conclusion is not new, this research has already been quite influential in the debate over fluoride in drinking water. It was accompanied by two op-eds in the paper that was published on Monday. One questioned its methods, disagreed with its conclusions, and the other fully supported it. I spoke with Dr. Bruce Lanphier.

Yeah. Science. So many words. Yeah. And while this conclusion is not new, this research has already been quite influential in the debate over fluoride in drinking water. It was accompanied by two op-eds in the paper that was published on Monday. One questioned its methods, disagreed with its conclusions, and the other fully supported it. I spoke with Dr. Bruce Lanphier.

He's at Simon Fraser University, and he co-authored that supportive piece.