News Archive

LOS ANGELES — Inside her West Los Angeles practice, pediatric dentist Dr. Reem Kabbarah said enamel health is crucial to a child’s well-being. Kabbarah explained that topical fluoride helps create stronger teeth and reduces the risk of cavities. “Some people choose to use it, others don’t,” she said. “But the effect is topical. It will create […]

In a joint statement released by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), state health officers threw their weight firmly behind the practice of community water fluoridation. CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Erica Pan, along with State Dental Director Dr. Shakalpi Pendurkar, asserted that adjusting fluoride levels in drinking water is, dare […]

One California lawmaker is looking to ensure kids and young adults can access fluoride treatment as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a critic of fluoridated water — faces Senate confirmation to lead the nation’s health agencies. Kennedy, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has called fluoride an […]

San Francisco – A fire at the world’s largest battery storage plant in Northern California smoldered Friday after sending plumes of toxic smoke into the atmosphere, leading to the evacuation of up to 1,500 people. The blaze also shook up the young battery storage industry. The fire at the Vistra Energy lithium battery plant in […]

New studies show high fluoride levels can lead to behavioral issues and lower IQ’s in children. SAN DIEGO — The federal government is scaling back its dependence on fluoride in drinking water after new studies found a link between high fluoride exposure to behavioral issues and lower intelligence in children. Despite this, data obtained by […]

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention once called fluoridation of drinking water one of the 10 great public health achievements of the 20th century thanks to its ability to help fight tooth decay. Come January, the new presidential administration is poised to argue otherwise. “On January 20, the Trump White House will advise […]

With President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, many Americans are wondering whether they’re in for a future without fluoridated water. Kennedy, who has widely spread falsehoods about vaccines causing autism and other medical claims, has vowed that the Trump administration will “advise all […]

California is one of the few states in the nation that requires fluoridation in tap water in an effort to reduce tooth decay. But many communities in the Bay Area and elsewhere are exempt – and if Donald Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes aim at fluoride in […]

Arthur Bobrove and wife Helen lived in Palo Alto for almost 40 years before he and Helen moved to Los Altos in 2018. Helen never had issues with her teeth, he said, but after living in Los Altos for six years, she was encouraged by her dentist to receive fluoride treatments. “She noted she had […]

OROVILLE — The legacy of a public health achievement in Oroville — adding fluoride in drinking water — is now on its way to being reversed as Oroville councilors pleaded for personal choice over its widely-researched public health benefits, leaving health experts worried on dental care costs likely increasing for rural children. The City Council […]