The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is removing prescription drugs containing concentrated ingestible fluoride intended for children, citing potential health risks.
Unlike fluoride toothpaste or mouth rinses, these products are swallowed by infants and toddlers. The FDA said they were never approved and recent studies link ingested fluoride to lowered IQ, thyroid disorders, and altered gut microbiomes in children.
“Ingested fluoride has been shown to alter the gut microbiome, which is of magnified concern given the early development of the gut microbiome in childhood,” the FDA said.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary emphasized that the agency must “err on the side of safety” when it comes to children’s health. “For the same reason that fluoride may kill bacteria on teeth, it may also kill intestinal bacteria important for a child’s health,” he said.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the move. “This isn’t fringe science—this is mainstream, peer-reviewed data,” Kennedy posted to X, referencing a recent JAMA Pediatrics review linking fluoride to reduced IQ.
Kennedy has long opposed fluoride in public water systems. Since taking office, Florida and Utah have moved to ban the chemical from municipal water supplies.