Report finds US children would have extra 25.4m cavities in five years if plan backed by RFK Jr were implemented

A new study published in Jama Health Forum estimates that if the US were to remove fluoride from public drinking water supplies – as Donald Trump’s health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has advocated – American children would suffer an additional 25.4m cavities in five years.

The additional cases represent a 7.5% increase in cavities, an added cost of $9.8bn and the loss of 2.9m quality-adjusted life years. Those cases would disproportionately be borne by children most at-risk for tooth decay – those on public health insurance or who lack insurance entirely.