For those who proudly flash their pearly whites, fluoridated water has been a blessing. For others, the controversial additive leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Here's how that fight looks today. Proponents of water fluoridation say fluoride, which has been shown to reduce tooth decay, improves public health.
Opponents say it poses long-term, unforeseeable health problems.
In the early 1900s, scientists and U.S. public health officials observed that western states, which had high levels of natural fluoride in drinking water, had correspondingly low levels of tooth decay. They advocated a national fluoridation program and sought to have the federal government require communities to seed their wells and reservoirs with small doses of sodium fluoride. The program proved successful, but it generated ill will and controversy. One presidential candidate even ran on an anti-fluoridation ticket, according to Bucher. But the jury is still out on the question of whether current levels of fluoride are safe.