on PinterestA new study found no link between fluoride in drinking water and negative impacts on brain health.
on PinterestA new study found no link between fluoride in drinking water and negative impacts on brain health. Aidana K/Stocksy
- A new study finds no evidence that fluoridated drinking water affects children’s IQ or the cognitive abilities of older adults.
- Experts say fluoride in drinking water helps prevent tooth decay and cavities.
- They add that a person’s dental health directly affects their overall health.
Fluoride in drinking water does not affect children’s IQ or decrease cognitive abilities in older adults, according to a new, large-scale study.
The research, published on April 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reports that there appears to be no difference at any stage of life between people who grow up with water fluoridation and those who do not.
“We find no evidence that [community water fluoridation] is negatively associated with adolescent IQ or adult cognitive functioning,” the study authors wrote.
The findings are in contrast to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s announcement in April that he would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its long-standing recommendation that fluoride be added to drinking water.
They also contradict previous research, including a January study, that has suggested a possible link between fluoride and children’s IQ levels. Researchers noted that the studies were conducted in China and other countries with higher fluoride concentrations than permitted in the United States.
Scott Tomar, DMD, a spokesperson for the American Dental Association, said this research provides important information for the public at a critical time. Tomar wasn’t involved in the study.
“Despite misinformation that is out there, the best available evidence indicates that community water fluoridation has no effect on IQ, cognition, or other measures of neurodevelopment,” said Tomar, who is also a professor and associate dean for Prevention and Public Sciences at the College of Dentistry at the MD, a pediatrician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA, said the findings confirm previous research on fluoridated water. Fisher wasn’t involved in the study.
“They reassure us that the use of fluoride in proper amounts does not have any definitive effects on IQ,” she told Healthline. “It makes a good case for having fluoride in our drinking water.”
No evidence to support negative impact of fluoride on cognition
The new study was led by Rob Warren, PhD, a sociologist and population health expert at the which has followed more than 10,000 people in that state since they graduated from high school in 1957. Participants took IQ tests at age 16, then had cognitive testing done at ages 53, 64, 72, and 80.
The original purpose of the Wisconsin study wasn’t focused on fluoride so there was no data available on urine or blood tests that would have measured exact levels of fluoride. Warren’s team based their estimates on exposure from records of when community water fluoridation began in certain areas.
The new findings follow a November 2025 study led by Warren that found no link between community water fluoridation in early life and brain function in people at age
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