Ladapo said he was recommending against fluoride in the water because of the “neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure” and cited the wide availability of fluoride through other means, like toothpastes, mouthwash and in-office dental applications.

The newfound national attention on fluoride injects the intense partisan passions of a Trump presidency into an issue that historically has been hyperlocal.

Montreal officials have opted to end water fluoridation in six West Island communities in a move spurred by a petition from a resident who claims he has the support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Arkansas Republicans want to give state residents control over whether to add fluoride to the public water supply. Four Republicans filed two bills on Wednesday that could remove the state’s mandatory fluoridation of drinking water after Robert F.

A town in Oregon voted this month to remove the fluoride from its water system. Lebanon Mayor Kenneth Jackola said with a population of 20,000 people, the town did not have the resources to research all the data on each side of the issue.