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submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by DrunkEngineer@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced it will begin the process of pulling prescription fluoride drops and tablets for children off the market. The supplements are usually given to kids at high risk for cavities.

The federal government and some state legislatures are increasingly drawing attention to what they claim are the risks associated with fluoride, a mineral that’s been used for decades in community water systems, toothpastes and mouth rinses to prevent tooth decay.

Dentists fiercely contest the notion that the harms of fluoride outweigh the benefits.

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[-] bss03@infosec.pub 4 points 10 months ago

I kinda buy the "forced medication" argument, but rather than removing the municipal water requirement, I think the municipality should provide water filters for those that want to opt-out.

I think the evidence is fairly clear that, in this case, opt-in should be the default as it protects VASTLY more than it harms.

[-] Soggy@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

Nah, I'm perfectly ok with "forced medication" when the societal benefit vastly outweighs the side effects. Mandatory vaccination, nutritionally supplemented food for children to aid in development, minor things like fluoride that reduce healthcare costs and promote long-term health, bring it on.

Giving credence to unsupported "skepticism" undermines the necessary faith in public infrastructure. Faith is a careful word choice here. I don't expect the average person to really understand the benefits and chemistry and p-values, as much as I'd like them to. Some things just need doing because you trust the authority saying so. (And right now there are precious few American authorities worthy of trust.)

[-] bss03@infosec.pub 0 points 10 months ago

I can't agree. Bodily autonomy isn't a compromise position for me, and I think "faith" is a vice, not a virtue.

[-] Soggy@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

It's not a compromise it's the cost of a functioning society. Measles. Smallpox. Polio. Whooping cough. There are extremely real costs to "personal choice" in the face of disease. Those costs are quite often passed on to children. Rickets. Fetal alcohol syndrome. I don't think parents should be free to make harmful choices for their offspring.

Faith is the compromise. I wish that every single adult had the education, interest, and wherewithal to make ethical and well-informed decisions about themself and their dependents but that's not the world we live in.

[-] bss03@infosec.pub 0 points 10 months ago

Bodily autonomy doesn't allow parents to make choices for children. It does allow people to make choices for themselves. Nice try at shifting those goalposts, tho.

[-] Soggy@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

The context of this thread is healthcare for children.

this post was submitted on 14 May 2025
437 points (98.4% liked)

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