1901, Frederick McKay was a dentist who opened a practice in Colorado Springs and found that his patients all seemed to have stained/mottled teeth, but no cavities. Why was this? He determined, after nearly 30 years and with the help of other researchers, that they all had what is now called fluorosis – and it was the result of high levels of fluoride in the Colorado Springs drinking water. He reported his findings to the dental community, and people started comparing fluoride levels and dental hygiene in various geographical areas. In the 1930s, a dentist with the US Public Health Service, sought to determine how high the level of fluoride in the water could be before it caused mottling, in hopes they could remove fluoride from water sources where there were higher levels. During his study, he learned that low doses had a protective effect. It was reported that when natural fluoride concentration was greater than 1 part per million, the incidence of cavities was seen to be reduced by some 50-65% and the World Health Organization began to recommend supplemental fluoride where levels were low.

In the 1940s and 50s, there was a push to fluoridate water in the US and Canada, reportedly in an attempt to improve dental health. This practice was immediately divisive, and remains that way today. Today, the American Dental Association remains a strong advocate of adding fluoride to water and estimates that every dollar spent on fluoridation saves about fifty dollars in future dental expenses. Nonetheless, for the last7 0 years there have been people who felt that the government had and continues to have a more nefarious goal… Was this all a communist plot to undermine American health or control the population? Other critics note similarities between MK Ultra studies and fluoridating water. The potential goal of mind control was even referenced in the 1964 political satire Dr Strangelove – in which one of the characters, General Jack D. Ripper believes that fluoridation of public water supplies is a Communist conspiracy designed to weaken American willpower. He sees it as a sinister plot to destroy “our precious bodily fluids”. Was this all a conspiracy to cover up and get rid of fluoride, an industrial waste product of fertilizer? Finally, there are those who believe that water fluoridation is an infringement of individual rights – similar to mass medication or vaccination without consent. Additional concerns surround the potential negative health effects including bone cancer, thyroid issues, and cognitive deficits in children – but what is the truth? Is fluoride in our water a cheap and effective way to improve dental health? Or is there something more sinister at play?