The topic of fluoride in drinking water has surfaced in the upcoming election after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed former President Donald Trump would push to eliminate the chemical on his first day in office if he were elected president.

Kennedy, a prominent supporter of debunked public health claims, was promised that Trump would be in charge of health initiatives.

Kennedy made the statement on social media platform X on Saturday, alongside various claims about the health effects of fluoride.

“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to eliminate fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to make America healthy again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump uses often and links to Kennedy.

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Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he hasn’t yet spoken to Kennedy about fluoride, “but it seems OK to me. You know it’s possible.”

What is fluoride?

Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost through normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Adding low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.

Close-up of a fluoride pipe at the Davis Water Treatment Plant, Austin, Texas, November 18, 2009. Fluosilicic acid tanks are visible in the background. (Photo by John Anderson/The Austin Chronicle/Getty Images)

History of fluoride in drinking water

In 1950, federal authorities approved water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay and continued to promote it even after brands of fluoride toothpaste came onto the market several years later.

Although fluoride can come from several sources, drinking water is the primary source for Americans, researchers say.

How Fluoride Levels Are Regulated

Officials lowered their recommendations for fluoride levels in drinking water in 2015 to combat a dental disease called fluorosis, which can cause tooth staining and is becoming increasingly common among American children.

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Since 1962, the government has recommended a range from 0.7 milligrams per liter for warmer climates, where people drink more water, to 1.2 milligrams in colder regions. The new standard is 0.7 everywhere.

Health risks of fluoride

In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there was a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels approximately twice the recommended limit for drinking water.

A federal judge later cited that study to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it was unclear whether the amount of fluoride typically added to water causes lower IQ in children, but he concluded that growing research indicates a unreasonable risk. It ordered the EPA to take steps to reduce that risk, but did not specify what those steps should be.

To limit fluoride in young children, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this advice: Do not use fluoridated toothpaste for children under 2 years old unless recommended by a dentist; use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste for children ages 2 to 6, and avoid fluoride mouthwashes.