Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said over the weekend that a second Trump administration would advise the nation to remove fluoride from public water supplies.

He wrote this former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, want to “Make America Healthy Again,” also sharing a link to a recent court decision that found the mineral poses enough of a risk to be further regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Fluoride is used to strengthen teethreplacing minerals lost due to wear and tear. Nearly 44% of Americans have access to fluoridated tap water.

“Well, I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but it sounds fine to me.” Trump told NBC News Sunday. “You know, it’s possible.”

Kennedy told supporters last week that Trump promised to give you “control” across several public health agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, Loss of IQneurodevelopmental disorders and thyroid diseases”, Kennedy claimed Saturday.

National Toxicology Program previously determined with “moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children, basing its conclusions on studies of fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water. Previous research has come with similar findings, including a 2019 study that found higher levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy were associated with lower IQ in children.

But major public health groups support water fluoridation, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has named nationwide drinking water fluoridation one of the top 10 public health interventions of the 20th century due to a dramatic decrease in cavities since the process began in 1945.

Almost all water contains some naturally occurring fluoride, but at levels too low to prevent tooth decay. The recommended level is 0.7 milligrams per liter, and state and local governments decide whether or not to implement fluoridation. In some areas, there is enough natural fluoride to prevent tooth decay.

Almost a decade ago, for the first time in more than 50 yearsthe federal government lowered the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water, which had previously been between 0.7 and 1.2 milligrams per liter.

According to the Fluorine Action Network, 37 states gives local governments and residents authority over fluoridation decisions, and 13 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, have laws mandating fluoridation at the national level. Some communities have rejected itthe group noted.

around the world, fluoridation variesmost European countries using fluoridation in various waysincluding through water fluoridation programs, fluoridated salt and milk, and other treatments. Since 2012, 25 countries had artificial water fluoridation to varying degrees, and another 28 had water that is naturally fluoridated. Almost half of the 435 million people who received fluoridated water at the recommended level were US residents.

The intake of fluoride has beneficial effects and negative effectsAccording to WHO. It can reduce cavities and tooth decay and cause bone disease after long-term exposure to large amounts. Excessive fluoride concentrations in drinking water are estimated to have caused tens of millions of cases of dental and skeletal fluorosis globally. Research on other impacts, like bone fracturesis divided.

Experts also say the benefits outweigh the risks. The American Dental Association says studies show that fluoridation cuts tooth decay by at least a quarter in children and adults — even with the widespread availability of fluoride toothpaste.

“We have people who don’t want fluoride, and their kids will come in with mouths full of cavities. Then they won’t want us to do any treatment,” Dr. Meg Lochary, a pediatric dentist from North Carolinahe told NBC News earlier this year. “I’m like, ‘Listen, dental infections can be very dangerous. You can get to the hospital.”

With reports from the Associated Press