When Tristen Boyer recently had a couple of cavities filled, her dentist suggested she get fluoride treatment afterward. She has Crohn’s disease, which puts her at increased risk for tooth decay.

Whether delivered in water or toothpaste, fluoride can help guard teeth against decay. But how? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The decade's old public health intervention has been a big boost in the fight against tooth decay. By Lauren Leffer Published Apr 9, 2025 12:00 PM EDT Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 ...

Donald Trump's second term may threaten what's lauded as one of the top public-health triumphs of the 20th century: adding fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay, to drinking water. That’s ...

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday casually lent support to the false claim that fluoride in drinking water may be harming children, echoing the same wholly unscientific ...

The discovery that fluoride can help people maintain healthy teeth dates back to Colorado Springs in the early 1900s. That’s when a young dentist named Frederick McKay noticed brown staining on the ...

Anil Oza is a general assignment reporter at STAT focused on the NIH and health equity. You can reach him on Signal at aniloza.16. Adding fluoride to water is considered one of the great public health ...

Calgary, Alberta, added fluoride back to its water after a large increase in tooth decay fcafotodigital/Getty Florida is the second state to remove the mineral fluoride from its water supply, after ...