Once hailed as a triumph of public health, water fluoridation is now under intense attack in the US.

Despite decades of data proving its efficacy at protecting teeth from decay—particularly children’s teeth—two states have now banned the use of fluoride in public water, and communities around the country have followed suit or are considering doing the same. The current US health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is known for his anti-vaccine advocacy and for peddling conspiracy theories, has pledged to remove fluoride from US water.

Now, a pair of researchers at Harvard—Sung Eun Choi and Lisa Simon—have modeled exactly what will happen in the US if Kennedy follows through on his pledge: The number of cavities and decayed teeth in American children and teens (ages 0–19) will increase by an estimated 7.5 percentage points over the first five years. That means there will be 25.4 million more rotten teeth in the mouths of children and teenagers. The dental bills for the added decay will total at least $9.8 billion in that time. Other costs, such as loss of work among parents, were not included, making the financial estimate conservative. But children will also be more miserable, with an estimated loss of 2.9 million quality-adjusted life years.

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    • over_clox@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Once upon a time it was considered safe and proper practice to lick the paintbrush with radium paint…

      Fun fact: Your teeth can only rot when you’re alive. After you die, your teeth can last thousands of years.

        • over_clox@lemmy.world
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          10 days ago

          No, they cancelled my insurance when I turned 18.

          I’m 42 now, and have never had full time employment. Best I ever had, as shop manager even, was 6 hours a day, 6 days a week.

          6 * 6 = 36

          So after I turned 18, I lost insurance, and have never found a 40+ hour a week job to qualify for benefits. ☹️

        • over_clox@lemmy.world
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          10 days ago

          Also, no, I prefer to not get radiation therapy.

          They’ve recently found that also causes cancer.

          Plus I can’t afford it anyways.

          • Valmond@lemmy.world
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            10 days ago

            Do what your doctor tells you, not what you read on facebook, that’s the best advice I can give you. Also good luck.

            • over_clox@lemmy.world
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              10 days ago

              Also, my oral surgeon was furious with the hospital for giving me bad advice for a week. I was too fucking young to sue the hospital for malpractice.

            • over_clox@lemmy.world
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              10 days ago

              Facebook didn’t even exist in the 90’s, so please take your advice and shove your internet banana up your ass.

              I did follow my oral surgeon advice.