Study: Removing fluoride from US water would cost $10B over 5 years

Key takeaways:

Compared with current fluoridation rates, removing fluoride increased tooth decay by 7.5 percentage points.

Researchers said fluoride removal would cost $9.8 billion over 5 years and $19.4 billion in 10 years.

Researchers estimated that removing fluoride from public water supplies would cost the United States $9.8 billion over 5 years to treat increased dental caries and tooth decay in children and adolescents.

“Community water fluoridation has been a success story since 1945, but discussions around eliminating fluoridation in the United States have been gaining traction,” Lisa E. Simon, MD, DMD, internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told Healio.

Data derived from Choi SE, et al. JAMA Health Forum. 2025;doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2025.1166.