Florida’s Fluoride Fallout: DeSantis Calls It ‘Forced Medication.’ Doctors Call It a Health Risk

Starting July 1, local governments across Florida will no longer be allowed to add fluoride to public drinking water following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to sign Senate Bill 700. 

While the legislation – dubbed the “Florida Farm Bill” – covers a broad range of agricultural issues, the provision banning additives from municipal water systems has sparked the most controversy.

During a press conference on May 6 in Miami, DeSantis characterized the addition of fluoride to public water as a violation of personal freedom, stating that “it’s forced medication when they’re adding fluoride to your water supply.” This charge has faced significant criticism from medical professionals, who argue that it misrepresents the intent and the scientific basis for water fluoridation.

“That’s done for emotional effect,” said Dr. Aileen Marty, an expert in infectious disease and disaster medicine and Professor at Florida International University. 

“The problem with his verbiage is that it is not intended to convey facts – it’s intended to rile people up. People that don’t understand that so many things that you do affect others, not just ourselves,” she said. 

While the bill does not explicitly name fluoride, it bans substances and minerals commonly used to fluoridate drinking water. The American Dental Association issued a statement last month urging leaders to keep water fluoridated throughout the United States.

DeSantis claimed there are studies raising concerns about “physical and mental health risks” tied to overexposure to fluoride, a claim that most public health experts strongly dispute.

Marty pushed back on such claims of neurological harm or developmental issues. 

“Contrary to certain politically motivated speakers, there is zero data associating [fluoride] with IQ changes. In fact, the [National Toxicology Program] found ‘insufficient data’ for risks,” she said, when fluoride is kept below 1.5 ppm, or parts per million of fluoride in water.

Now that the bill has passed, the concern for most is the impact on public health, she added.

“The consequences will manifest slowly, and many people will not recognize that this change was due to loss of fluoride until a lot of damage has been done,” said Marty.

“In a time when people, especially low-income people, are at risk of losing dental coverage, the loss of fluoride in the water is going to have a significant impact economically, as well as potential long-term health consequences, since poor dental structures lead to systemic inflammation that harms blood vessels and heart cells.”

All eyes on this issue have been on Florida, which is now the second state in the US to ban fluoride, following in the footsteps of Utah. Florida’s DeSantis-appointed Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, opposes fluoride and has come to South Florida commission meetings in recent months to try to urge its banning. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. the Secretary of Health and Human Services, said last month that he will instruct the CDC to tell communities nationwide to stop fluoridating water. 

Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner, Wilton Simpson, explained why he sees the fluoride ban as a victory. “We made it very clear that adults should choose informed consent of what goes in their body and fluoride is one of those things,” Simpson said on “Florida’s Voice,” a right-wing outlet founded in 2021. “And we, certainly parents, should have a choice in the medication of their children. Government is not a leader in this area and they certainly don’t know what they’re doing most of the time.”

But dentists across the state, particularly those serving underserved communities, are bracing for a rise in tooth decay.  Dr. Flora Bentsi-Enchill of Flora Dental in Delray Beach emphasized that fluoride is safe and effective.

“If the American Medical Association says ‘we need to keep fluoride because research has shown that areas without fluoridated waters are struggling,’ then we should,” she said. "Comparing areas with fluoride and ones without fluoride, there is evidence of cavities, especially in kids."

She stated that public water systems rigorously test fluoride levels to ensure safety. Explaining that the fluoride levels added to the water are carefully monitored to maintain a moderate amount, ensuring they are at a safe level.

From her experience, Bentsi-Enchill said the benefits of fluoride often become clearest only in its absence. 

“I have seen patients after patients who are not believers in [fluoride] get lots and lots of cavities and then they start realizing, ‘oh, I see why that was needed.'”

Bentsi-Enchill stands by fluoride’s effectiveness in both her professional practice and personal life. She continues to use fluoride in her own home. 

 “I give my kids [fluoride] toothpaste because I know that it works. I know the importance of using [fluoride] toothpaste and things like that,” she said.

As for health concerns raised by critics of fluoridation,  Bentsi-Enchill was certain: “They’re saying that fluoride causes cancer, fluoride causes all these health issues. They don’t really have enough evidence to say that it’s true.”

If anything, she said, the new law will only increase demand for dental services. “It’s going to sadly keep dentists very busy.”

Critics see the fluoride ban as a setback for dental health and a sign of increasing political influence on public health decisions.

“Science is a means for understanding our world based on empirical evidence, not on belief,” said Marty. “It is a shame that false fears, grandstanding and tribalism are taking precedence over critical thinking and rational, measured science.”