A new nationally representative survey has found that Americans are considerably more likely to trust the American Dental Association (ADA) than U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for information about the health effects of fluoride in drinking water.
The findings come at a time when community water fluoridation has once again become a topic of intense public debate in the United States, with policymakers, health professionals and advocacy groups discussing its benefits and potential risks.
The survey, conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania among 1,639 U.S. adults, found that 74 per cent of respondents were confident that the ADA provides trustworthy information about fluoride in drinking water. By comparison, only 34 per cent expressed confidence in Kennedy as a reliable source on the issue.
Researchers found that 65 per cent of adults lacked confidence in Kennedy's information on fluoride, including 42 per cent who said they were "not at all confident" and 23 per cent who were "not too confident." In contrast, 26 per cent reported lacking confidence in the ADA, including 9 per cent who were "not at all confident" and 17 per cent who were "not too confident."
"When it comes to fluoride, Americans place considerably more trust in the American Dental Association than in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.," said Ken Winneg, Managing Director of Survey Research at the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
However, the survey also found that public attitudes toward fluoride often vary according to broader political and health beliefs. Many supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement reported confidence in both the ADA and Kennedy, suggesting that Americans evaluate health information differently depending on their perspectives and affiliations.
The survey further examined public attitudes toward community water fluoridation, a public health intervention that has been used for decades to help prevent tooth decay.
Overall, 43 per cent of U.S. adults said they support adding fluoride to public drinking water, while 26 per cent oppose it and 30 per cent neither support nor oppose it.
When respondents were asked specifically about fluoridating their own community's water supply, 43 per cent said they would support the measure, 23 per cent said they would oppose it and 34 per cent remained neutral.
Among respondents who identified as supporters of the MAHA movement, opposition to community fluoridation outweighed support, with 41 per cent opposing fluoridation and 26 per cent supporting it. By comparison, among respondents who do not support MAHA, nearly two-thirds, or 63 per cent, favoured fluoridation, while only 11 per cent opposed it.
Confidence in Kennedy was substantially higher among MAHA supporters. Seventy-four per cent of MAHA supporters said they trusted Kennedy's information on fluoride, while 68 per cent also reported confidence in the ADA. Among respondents who do not identify as MAHA supporters, confidence in the ADA was even higher at 83 per cent.
Asked about the overall public health impact of fluoride in public water supplies, 42 per cent of respondents said fluoridation has a positive effect on public health, 17 per cent said it has a negative effect and 35 per cent said they were unsure.
Among MAHA supporters, opinions were evenly divided, with 30 per cent saying fluoridation has a positive impact and an equal 30 per cent saying it has a negative effect.
The ADA has consistently maintained that community water fluoridation is a safe, effective and evidence-based public health measure that helps prevent tooth decay and reduce oral health inequalities. The organisation describes fluoridation as one of the most significant public health achievements of the past century and notes that it has served as a cornerstone of cavity prevention efforts for more than 80 years.
The survey findings highlight both the high level of trust many Americans place in professional dental organisations and the continuing divisions in public attitudes toward fluoride and community water fluoridation.
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