Fluoride has been in the headlines a lot this year, and many parents have asked us what it means for their children. Two federal agencies have made changes or started reviews, but the everyday advice for your family is mostly the same. Here is a clear summary from the American Dental Association (ADA) news reports, and what we recommend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fluoride supplements are drops or chewable tablets that some children take when their drinking water has little or no fluoride. In October 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it will take action against unapproved ingestible fluoride products labeled for children under 3, or for older children at low or moderate risk of cavities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Supplements are still available for children at higher risk of cavities<\/strong>, especially in areas where the water is not fluoridated. The ADA says the decision should be made by your child’s dentist or pediatrician, based on your child’s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In February 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a review of fluoride in drinking water under the Safe Drinking Water Act. It follows a 2024 court ruling that asked the EPA to look more closely at possible risks. In May 2026, a federal appeals court cancelled the order that had required a fast-tracked review, and the ADA asked the EPA to take a careful, science-based approach with independent expert review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No rules have changed yet.<\/strong> The federal safety limit is still 4 milligrams per liter, and the recommended level for community water is 0.7 milligrams per liter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In April 2026, a review in The Journal of the American Dental Association<\/em> looked at studies from 2014 to 2025. It found that community water fluoridation lowers cavities by about 25%, and that communities that stopped fluoridating their water saw more cavities and more fillings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our pediatric dentists can look at your child’s cavity risk and your water source, and give you advice that fits your family. Schedule a visit<\/a>, find the office nearest you<\/a>, or read more in our Academia de la sonrisa<\/a> parent guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sources, ADA News: FDA to restrict sale of fluoride supplements<\/a> (Oct 31, 2025); EPA initiates accelerated review of fluoride in drinking water<\/a> (Feb 6, 2026); April JADA evaluates water fluoridation benefits<\/a> (Apr 6, 2026); ADA calls for deliberative approach in EPA fluoride review<\/a> (May 29, 2026). This article reflects information available as of September 30, 2026. It is general information, not advice for your child.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New limits on fluoride supplements and a federal review of tap water. Here is what changed for kids, what has not, and what parents can do.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowp8LaCw:productID":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11938"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11944,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11938\/revisions\/11944"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.littlekidsdentistry.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11938"}],"curies":[{"name":"gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. A federal review of fluoride in tap water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. What the research says<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What has not changed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What parents can do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Questions? We are happy to help<\/h2>\n\n\n\n