Fluoride Treatments FDA Investigation Texas Attorney General
Last year, when Utah lawmakers passed the nation’s first statewide ban on community water fluoridation, they included a provision making it easier for people to get fluoride supplements without having to visit a dental provider.
This would make fluoride available through individual choice, rather than “mass public dosing,” as a Utah House of Representatives webpage put it – part of the rising rhetoric of skepticism that’s led to rollbacks of water fluoridation, a proven method to reduce tooth decay.
“It’s what I like to refer to as the win-win, right?” Speaker Mike Schultz said on a June episode of the “house Rules” podcast from the Utah House. “Those that want fluoride can now get fluoride easier, and those that don’t want fluoride in their drinking water don’t have to have that.”
But even as critics point to fluoride supplements as an choice – along with fluoride toothpaste, rinses and varnishes – many are creating barriers to these same products.
Under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. kennedy Jr.’s oversight, the Food and Drug Management said it issued notices to four businesses about their ingestible fluoride supplements for children and also put out new guidance for health professionals.
In texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched investigations into two large companies over their marketing of fluoride toothpaste to parents and children.
And changes to medicaid in President Donald Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful bill Act threaten to make it harder than it already is for the most vulnerable people to access any oral health care at all, let alone fluoride treatments at a dentist’s office.
More than anything, experts say, alarmist language from high-profile officials is trickling down to the public, leading more people to question whether any form of fluoride – in drinking water or in other treatments – is a good idea.
Scott Tomar, a professor and associate dean at the University of illinois Chicago College of Dentistry, is among those who have watched with dismay as the conversation about fluoride has been affected by arguments likely to scare people.
“I’m certain that the net result of all of this is going to be a greater reluctance on the part of parents and providers to prescribe fluoride supplements,” Tomar said.
Low, consistent exposure to fluoride is widely credited for dramatic declines in decaying teeth. But long-simmering skepticism about its use gained more influence in recent years, especially with Kennedy’s credibility and influence as the nation’s chief health officer.
“The evidence against fluoride is overwhelming,
FDA Moves to Restrict Fluoride Supplements for children Following Utah Ban
The Food and Drug Administration began taking steps to restrict the sale of certain fluoride supplements for children in late 2025, shortly after Utah lawmakers banned water fluoridation and pointed to supplements as a key alternative. The agency cited potential health risks, including changes to the gut microbiome, thyroid disorders, weight gain, and potentially decreased IQ, as justification for its actions.
The FDA announced its initial efforts on October 31,2025,to remove certain ingestible fluoride products for children from the market. The agency sent notices to four companies marketing the supplements for children under 3 and older children with moderate or low risk for tooth decay. It also issued warnings to health care professionals about the associated risks.
The move followed a surge of public feedback. The FDA received more than 4,600 public comments regarding the proposed restrictions, with many expressing concern about losing access to supplements alongside the removal of water fluoridation.
“now that fluoride has been removed from much of Utah’s water, it is imperative to provide supplementation through other means,” wrote one orthodontist in a public comment.
A dentist in South Florida criticized what they described as scare tactics and flawed science driving fluoridation bans, and emphasized the importance of fluoride drops and lozenges as alternatives for pediatric patients.
Stuart Cooper, executive director of the Fluoride Action Network, hailed the FDA’s actions as a “major victory” and predicted further federal limitations on fluoride products. He noted that fluoride supplements, developed alongside water fluoridation in the 1940s, have never undergone a full FDA review. cooper stated that the Fluoride Action Network submitted a citizens petition a decade ago requesting the agency to pull the supplements from the market.
The FDA announced its efforts to “restrict the sale of unapproved ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children” on October 31, 2025.