Removing fluoride from drinking water may lead to more cavities

(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - Removing fluoride from public drinking water could have costly consequences, including leading to more cavities in children.

According to a new modeling study, fluoride is a mineral that can help prevent tooth decay. Public drinking water in the U.S. has been a public health practice since 1945, but now fluoride is facing bans in certain states such as Utah and Florida.

Researchers from Harvard School of Dental Medicine assessed that clinical oral health data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination survey.

That data shows that they estimate removing fluoride from public drinking water in the U.S. could lead to more than 25 million decayed teeth in kids within the next five years.

That's around one additional decayed tooth for every three children in the U.S. The healthcare costs could be around $10 billion each year.

Researchers found that less than 2% of U.S. children were exposed to excessive level of fluoride.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed that fluoride exposure has resulted in a wide variety of health problems, including cancer.