From left: Chiropractor Dr. Bill Smith; Sen. Clint Penzo, R-Springdale; Rep. Matt Duffield, R-Russellville; and dentist Dr. Chester Clark address the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. Penzo and Duffield presented a bill that would have repealed the state’s water fluoridation mandate, and Smith and Clark spoke in favor of the bill, but the committee rejected it. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)
An Arkansas Senate committee narrowly rejected a proposal to repeal state law requiring fluoride in drinking water after supporters outnumbered opponents of the bill during public comment.
Senate Bill 2 would have deleted an entire section of state statute that currently mandates: “The company, corporation, municipality, county, government agency, or other entity that owns or controls a water system shall control the quantity of fluoride in the water so as to maintain a fluoride content established by the Department of Health.”
Current law also requires the State Board of Health to adopt rules for “permissible concentrations of fluoride to be maintained by a water system” and requirements for maintaining those concentrations.
The benefits and potential risks of fluoridated water have been debated for decades, but it most recently became a national topic of discussion in September. A federal judge ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to place more regulations on the concentrations of the mineral in drinking water because large amounts of it could impair children’s intellectual development. Dental experts recommend fluoride to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent tooth decay.
At Wednesday’s Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee meeting, three people spoke against SB 2: Dr. Terry Fiddler and Dr. Niki Carter, both dentists, and Dr. Natalie Burr, a pediatrician representing the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
All three said there are credible studies showing that fluoride improves oral health while there are no credible studies that it poses a serious risk to public health, particularly for children.
“[If] you drink a lot of water, that has a lot of benefits, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have an over-amount of fluoride in your system,” Fiddler said.
Carter is the dental director of insurer Delta Dental of Arkansas, and she said the state ranks last in oral health nationwide. She rebuffed a comment from Sen. Ricky Hill, R-Cabot, that this statistic might mean water fluoridation does not actually improve oral health.
“Removing fluoride from water would have a negative impact on Arkansans’ oral health,” Carter said. “In fact, removing it from our water systems will burden those with lower incomes and pre-existing dental conditions… These same people have fewer prevention options and already have to deal with the socioeconomic barriers that make it difficult to maintain a healthy diet or access to dental care.”
In 2023, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement’s Health Policy Board reaffirmed its support for required statewide fluoridation of public water systems.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended fluoride concentration in drinking water since 2015 is 0.7 mg of fluoride per liter of water, and the World Health Organization recommends a 1.5 mg-maximum fluoride concentration.
Supporters of SB 2 emphasized the dangers of consuming large amounts of fluoride, while opponents emphasized the benefits of consuming smaller amounts.
The nine supporters of the bill included doctors, water utility administrators and concerned citizens.
Dr. Chester Clark, a dentist, claimed studies from the 1950s about the benefits of fluoride were “falsified.” He also noted that books have been written claiming water fluoridation is toxic, such as The Fluoride Deception and The Case Against Fluoride.
“I have yet to see one book that’s written showing the safety of fluoride,” Clark said. “It seems like if it’s such a great thing, there should be some books written about it.”
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Clark and other supporters of the bill also said fluoride could cause bone damage, and he called water fluoridation “experimentation on humans without their informed consent.”
Dr. Bill Smith, another supporter, spoke for 20 minutes about the potential harm of fluoride on the human body.
“We’ve put a regulated drug into the water supply, and we haven’t given the people a choice to accept or refuse administration of this drug,” Smith said.
Committee chairwoman Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, asked Smith if he was a dentist; Smith said he is a “well-educated chiropractor.”
Smith, Penzo and others who supported the bill said they accepted the benefits of fluoride on tooth enamel via mouthwash and toothpaste but specifically opposed the ingestion of the chemical.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump nominee for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, has called fluoride an “industrial waste” that causes a range of diseases. Health experts said his claims are misleading, according to KFF Health News.
SB 2 was not an attempt to conform to the public health stances of Kennedy and Trump, said Rep. Matt Duffield, R-Russellville, the bill’s House sponsor.
Duffield said he has made a conscious effort not to consume fluoride for the past 14 years and has “not had a single cavity since then.”
Representatives of the Arkansas Rural Water Association and the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority spoke in favor of the bill.
After public comment, the committee’s voice vote to pass the bill was split, and the audience reacted negatively to Irvin declaring the bill had failed.
On a roll call vote, Penzo, Hill and two other Republicans, Scott Flippo of Bull Shoals and John Payton of Wilburn, voted for the bill. Five votes are necessary for bills to pass eight-member committees.
Irvin was one of four senators to vote no, along with Sen. David Wallace, R-Leachville, and Democratic Sens. Greg Leding of Fayetteville and Fredrick Love of Mabelvale.
Senate Bill 4, also sponsored by Penzo and Duffield, would build on the foundation laid by SB 2 if it were to become law. SB 4 would put fluoridation of water systems in the hands of city or county voters, and it has been deferred in the Senate Committee on State Agencies and Governmental Affairs.