Toxic Exposures
DOD, Dentists: No Truth to Warren’s Claim that RFK Jr.’s Plan to End Water Fluoridation ‘Threatens Military Readiness’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren claimed last week in a press release that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reported plan to direct the CDC to stop recommending water fluoridation “threatens military readiness.” But according to a memo the DOD sent Warren, and reported by the Military Times, there are currently no service members classified as non-deployable due to dental problems.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) claimed last week in a press release that U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reported plan to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stop recommending water fluoridation “threatens military readiness.”
Warren, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Personnel for the Senate Armed Services Committee, in May sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth making similar allegations that military dental health “will further suffer as a direct result of Secretary Kennedy’s plans.”
She cited 2011 data from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) reporting that dental decay was one of the major reasons that military personnel get classified as “non-deployable.” The military later directed the DOD to fluoridate water at facilities serving 3,300 people or more by 2016.
“Our military is already falling short on delivering high quality dental care for our service members, and Secretary Kennedy’s fluoride crusade is threatening to worsen this crisis and hurt our military’s ability to deploy where they’re needed,” Warren said in last week’s press release. “Our government should be focused on improving dental health access for our service members, not pushing anti-science conspiracies.”
Emily Hilliard, press secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, called the claims “false and politically motivated.”
Hilliard told The Defender, “The Secretary is focused on restoring public trust in health policy by following current science, not outdated narratives or bureaucratic talking points.”
Dr. Hardy Limeback, professor emeritus in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto, told The Defender he thinks Warren is attacking Kennedy’s reported plans “in order to gain political points for herself without actually looking at the science.”
“Calling RFK Jr.’s policy ‘pushing anti-science conspiracies’ is in itself antiscience and political,” Limeback said.
DOD last week updated Warren on military dental health
According to a memo the DOD sent Warren before she issued her press release, and reported by the Military Times, there are currently no service members classified as non-deployable due to dental problems, also some are considered “not medically ready to deploy.”
DOD officials said dental emergencies account for 20% to 30% of all injuries not related to combat. However, Limeback said these statistics exist even though most members have access to water fluoridation on military bases.
He said that existing dental problems are often attributable to “chronic dental disease — missing, fractured, decayed teeth and teeth infected with gum disease, not related to the status of fluoride in the water.”
Between 2014-2024, the percentage of troops with the worst levels of dental health decreased from 8.3% to 6.3%, and the percentage of troops with the best dental health also dropped — from 48.9% to 44.8%, according to the memo.
Defense officials also told Warren there is no clear evidence that fluoridation of drinking water alone is responsible for improved military dental readiness.
They noted that some military installations purchase water from non-DOD water providers and that many military members live off base.
They also cited factors including access to care, disease patterns, diet, oral hygiene practices and regular dental preventive care that can impact an individual’s dental health and readiness.
Officials also said the short-term impact of removing fluoride may be negligible, but cited DOD reports showing it may be associated with increased rates of dental decay in the long run.
A Pentagon spokesperson told The Defender the agency plans to follow up with Warren directly regarding her press release from last week.
‘Our military deserves the very best oral health support we can provide,’ but that doesn’t mean water fluoridation
Dentist Dr. Griffin Cole, a member of the board of directors of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, said Warren neglected to mention there are no randomized clinical trials showing that ingesting fluoride benefits dental health or reduces cavities.
Limeback similarly said there is “no proof that fluoridation works to help adults reduce dental disease.” He cited a 2024 Cochrane review of evidence for water fluoridation efficacy that found “no eligible studies that report caries outcomes in adults.”
“By ignoring the growing body of scientific evidence showing the potential adverse effects of fluoride ingestion, Senator Warren continues to repeat outdated claims from conventional dentistry,” Limeback said.
Cole said:
“Our military deserves the very best oral health support we can provide, which includes education on preventive care, access to hydroxyapatite-based toothpastes, and nutrient-rich food options that truly support long-term dental health. It also means ending the use of mercury-amalgam fillings and providing metal-free alternatives that are safer and more biocompatible. These actions will ensure our servicemen and servicewomen receive the best possible support for their oral health and overall well-being.
“Eliminating fluoride from drinking water will not increase dental emergencies but rather help prevent a range of potential systemic health problems. Secretary Kennedy should be commended for taking decisive action to end this outdated and unproven practice.”
Limeback said improving the diets of military personnel — by doing things like reducing sugar intake — will “go a long way” to reducing the number of dental issues.
Hilliard also noted that fluoride is the only chemical added to drinking water that does not treat the water for purification. “Fluoride is added to water for the purpose of medication: i.e., to reduce tooth decay, a non-waterborne disease,” she said.
She also noted that the CDC now concedes that fluoride’s predominant benefit to teeth comes from topical contact with the outside of the teeth, not from ingestion, and noted that emerging research has “raised valid concerns about ingestion, including potential links to thyroid issues, gut microbiome disruption, and lower IQ, warranting open scientific review.”
This article was funded by critical thinkers like you.
The Defender is 100% reader-supported. No corporate sponsors. No paywalls. Our writers and editors rely on you to fund stories like this that mainstream media won’t write.
Water fluoridation one of military health policies that lacks evidence of effectiveness
Pam Long, director of Children’s Health Defense Military Chapter and Army Veteran of the Medical Service Corps, told The Defender that even if fluoride were beneficial, military members often deploy to regions that do not have fluoridated water and that “there is no scenario” where mission planning would consider water quality as an obstacle to deployment.
“For a politician to imply that American military members cannot defend this country and our allies without perfect conditions conveys an image of weakness to our enemies,” she said.
Long said fluoride has been shown to be neurotoxic. “Secretary Kennedy has demonstrated decisive leadership to remove it from drinking water after decades of other people in positions to take action failed to remove it.”
She said other military health policies lack scientific evidence to back them up. For example, she said, “The mandated influenza vaccine has negative efficacy — more harm than benefit. The influenza vaccine increases infection risk of all other respiratory viruses by 65%. Units with mass influenza vaccination prior to a deployment will see a degradation in readiness. Healthy soldiers will become sick.”
The anthrax vaccine is also still mandated for training and overseas deployments, she said, even though “there is no evidence that any country has developed or utilized a weapon to disperse anthrax.”
“Secretary Kennedy is the greatest threat to the status quo in non-evidence-based health recommendations,” she said.
Related articles in The Defender
- FDA Cracks Down on Unapproved Fluoride Supplements for Kids
- Pentagon Ends Flu Vaccine Mandate for Reservists, But Not Active Duty Troops
- Breaking: New Cochrane Review Finds Water Fluoridation Has Minimal Effect on Dental Health
- Breaking: New Study Linking Fluoride to Lower IQ in Children Sparks Renewed Calls to End Water Fluoridation
No comments:
Post a Comment