U.S. health officials cut back fluoride dosage advice for tap water

Since 1962, the U.S. Public Health Service has recommended that communities fluoridate their water with between 0.7 milligrams per liter and 1.2 mg/L, based on an area's outdoor temperature. On Monday, the PHS pared back those recommendations to 0.7 mg/L for all communities that fluoridate their drinking water.

"The change is recommended because now Americans have access to more sources of fluoride, such as toothpaste and mouth rinses, than they did when fluoridation was first introduced in the United States," Deputy Surgeon General Dr. Boris Lushniak said on Monday. Too much fluoride can cause fluorosis, a condition that affects kids 8 and younger, staining tooth enamel with faint white dots or, in severe cases, staining and pitting. "The new recommended level will maintain the protective decay prevention benefits of water fluoridation and reduce the occurrence of dental fluorosis," Lushniak added.

The American Dental Association applauded the new guidelines, NPR reports, while critics of fluoridation said 0.7 mg/L is still too much, arguing that people should be able to decide how much fluoride to give their kids on an individual basis.

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