Utah dentist says removing fluoride from water is a bad idea
Mar 28, 2025, 6:00 PM
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah has banned fluoride in public drinking water, making it the first in the country to do so. Was this a good idea? Dentists think not.
Dr. Val Radmall, executive director of the Utah Dental Association, joined KSL NewsRadio to explain why.
Below is a partial transcript of this interview as well as the full podcast.
KSL NewsRadio edited the following transcript for brevity and clarity.
HOST JEFF CAPLAN: Why is fluoride in our water so important?
GUEST DR. VAL RADMALL: To simply put it, it helps strengthen the teeth to resist decay. Decay is one of the number one leading causes of disease in children. And so we were trying to combat that and help the public.
CAPLAN: Why do you think this bill—now law—was pushed by lawmakers?
RADMALL: The scientific data for decades shows that it’s been safe, effective at the right dosages … At the right levels, it’s great. It’s kind of like taking a couple of Advil, for example, for a headache. You don’t take 20 of them for your headache. You only take two. So at the right levels, it’s very good, very effective. And it helps the underserved (and) the children especially … both who aren’t able to get dental health.
Related: Utah becomes first state to ban fluoride in water, restrict flags on public buildings
CAPLAN: Is there any way to get that fluoride without having it come out of the tap?
RADMALL: There are ways to get the fluoride, but it’s never as effective. So it’s a second-best attempt at best … We are going to have to pivot, try to educate the public on how important their oral health is to their whole systemic health, try to keep children and such out of the emergency room for dental diseases that are going to, obviously, be on the increase, as well as the Medicaid costs for the underserved that are going to be on the increase.
CAPLAN: Is the solution at this point—the second best—to get a fluoride treatment at the dentist, or is it just to get a bottle of fluoride stuff that you swish around your mouth?
RADMALL: Probably the fluoride treatment at the dental office is better than something you’re going to be able to buy over the counter and swish around. But yes, everything at that point is definitely second best and not even probably anywhere near as effective, but it’s the best we can do under the laws that have been passed.
Listen to the podcast below for the full interview:
