BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – A number of water systems in Mississippi have stopped adding fluoride, including at least one in South Mississippi.
It’s a debate that has already been in the spotlight on the national level.
The debate is typically dominated by fears that the chemical is actually causing more harm than good. While that is a concern from some, the Mississippi State Department of Health told WLOX News, the move away from fluoride is really driven by something else.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring element found in water. In Mississippi, the majority of water systems draw from deep wells of ground water, which often contain some level of fluoride. Since the 1940s, many states have opted to add more fluoride to fight tooth decay.
Around the country, and in Mississippi, that is changing-not because of health concerns, but for financial reasons.
“Cost became a major factor for many systems to continue [fluoridation],” Bill Moody told WLOX News.
Moody is the director of Mississippi State Department of Health’s bureau of public water supply. For almost 30 years, he has worked for the agency in charge of oversight and implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
For the last five years, he has seen a trend: water systems moving away from fluoride.
“During the pandemic, the scarcity of the chemical became very evident,” Moody explained. “Lots of systems couldn’t find it. And if they did find it, it was really expensive.”
Water supply systems source fluoride from two companies: one is in China, the other is in Belgium. When the pandemic shook up the world trade economy, imports saw a spike in prices: including fluoride.
When the fluoride well ran dry, many water supply systems opted to pause its fluoridation program and shut down the feeder pumps. Those pumps, like any other machine, are prone to problems if not shut down properly, or go long periods without use.
So, when fluoride became readily available again, many of those fluoride feeder pumps were broken and needed to be replaced all together.
“The equipment alone is one price, then installation is another price,” Moody said. “It’s just like getting your car fixed. You got parts, and you got labor.”
The City of Diamondhead ended its fluoridation program last month. In the mandatory public notice, four of the five reasons it listed were financial.
Similarly, the City of Poplarville’s public notice to end fluoridation was also dominated by financial concerns. The city’s board of aldermen will vote on the program’s future on Dec. 16.
Still, pediatric dentists are not convinced that ending the program is a good idea.
“One of the quotes I see all the time is, a dollar in fluoride saves 38 dollars in dental care,” said Dr. Austin McMurphy. “Our Americanized diet, unfortunately, has really progressed [tooth] decay in the last 15 to 20 years.”
The increase of sugar and processed foods in our diet alone is enough reason for water systems to keep the fluoride program, Dr. McMurphy said, especially for children in low income areas.
“The fluoridation in the water was a big component to helping those low income areas have less decay and less issues,” he explained. “It just becomes even more important to make sure you’re using the fluoridated toothpaste and seeing a dentist every six months for the fluoride application.”
Original article online at: https://www.wlox.com/2025/12/12/some-mississippi-water-systems-are-stopping-fluoride-programs-heres-why/