Utah cities and counties that have added fluoride to their drinking water will have to stop by Wednesday, due to a new law banning the practice — a move medical professionals say is likely to damage people’s oral health.
Nathan Lunstad, who oversees the Utah Division of Drinking Water, said the ban will affect the 26 water systems in Davis County, Salt Lake County and Brigham City that currently fluoridate.
Dental experts say the move will put people and their dental health at risk, as they potentially lose the mineral’s benefits to their teeth.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Division of Professional Licensing director Mark Steinagel speaks to The Tribune at the Department of Health and Human Services building in Salt Lake City, Friday, May 2, 2025, regarding how residents can supplement fluoride use as HB 81, which outlaws adding fluoride in drinking water, comes into effect on Wednesday, May 7.
Those effects can be especially harmful to children, said Staci Stout, a dental hygienist with the Utah Dental Hygienists’ Association. She said she notices a difference in the teeth of kids who live in areas with fluoridation compared to those who do not.
“It’s going to affect, in long term, our youngest populations, our kiddos that are still forming those permanent teeth underneath the gum line within the bone,” she said. “That’s when the fluoride comes in and helps strengthen the enamel as that enamel is being built onto those teeth.”
Dr. Jennifer Brinton, a general pediatrician and hospitalist with the Utah Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that in communities in Canada and the United States that have stopped fluoridation, twice as many kids have needed to be sedated when they have their cavities filled.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pediatrician Jennifer Brinton speaks to The Tribune at the Department of Health and Human Services building in Salt Lake City, Friday, May 2, 2025, regarding how residents can supplement fluoride use as HB 81, which outlaws adding fluoride in drinking water, comes into effect on Wednesday, May 7.
Stout added that fluoride in drinking water also helps older people by protecting teeth through remineralization after those teeth have been weakened through eating.
When the law goes into effect Wednesday, Utah will become the first state in the nation to ban fluoride in drinking water statewide. Florida is on track to become the second.
Even if some Utahns can no longer rely on getting fluoride from tap water, professionals say there are other ways to get an appropriate amount of the mineral and its oral health benefits.
“We need to make sure that we keep fluoride available for children,” Brinton said.
1. Brush your teeth
Brinton said that anyone old enough to have a tooth is old enough to have that tooth brushed with fluoride toothpaste twice a day. For babies and toddlers, she said the appropriate amount of toothpaste is the equivalent of a grain of rice. Once kids turn 3, use a dab “the size of a split pea.” She also said people should floss any teeth that touch.
2. Get fluoride from a pharmacy
Just as pharmacists have been able to dispense flu shots, hormonal contraceptives and naloxone without a doctor’s prescription, they will soon be able to sell fluoride supplements, according to Mark Steinagel, the director of the Utah Division of Professional Licensing.
Their new ability is granted through the same law that banned fluoridation in drinking water, and Steinagel said his department is now working to set administrative rules for the practice. Pharmacists, he said, will be able to give dosage guidance, as well.
Steinagel said his department is still working with the Department of Health and Human Services on guidelines for pharmacists, and he expects the provision of the new law will be realized within the next two months.
3. See a dentist regularly
Stout emphasized that different people have different needs when it comes to fluoride, depending on factors like their diet and where they live. Some places, she said, use water sources with more natural fluoride than others.
Because of those different factors, Stout stressed the importance of communicating with their dental health providers. She recommended people see their dentist at least twice a year, sometimes more.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The fluoride station at the Big Cottonwood Water Treatment Facility on Monday, April 21, 2025.
4. Fluoride varnish
Fluoride varnishes are not sold over the counter, but professionals can apply them to patients who need them, Stout said — such as those who are more at risk of cavities.
5. Check for natural fluoridation
The state’s Department of Environment Quality maintains a website where people can find their water district. They can then call their district to learn the natural fluoride level in their area’s water.