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Thu, January 16, 2025

[ 12:22 PM ] - Slate

What's Going On With Fluoride and Children's IQs?

^{Published on 2025-01-16 12:22:19 - Slate}

The new paper is a systematic review and meta-analysis. This is a type of study in which researchers comb the literature on a topic to find all the research that's been published in the area. They then put all that data together in a statistical model to get an idea of what the evidence shows altogether.

The article from Slate discusses a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open, which examined the relationship between fluoride exposure during pregnancy and children's IQ. The study found that higher levels of fluoride in the urine of pregnant women were associated with lower IQ scores in their children at ages 3 to 4. This research adds to the ongoing debate about the safety of fluoride, particularly in water fluoridation programs aimed at preventing tooth decay. Critics of the study argue that the correlation does not imply causation, pointing out potential confounders like socioeconomic status and other environmental factors. Proponents of fluoride, including dental health organizations, maintain that the benefits of fluoride in preventing dental caries outweigh the risks, especially at the levels typically found in community water supplies. The article also touches on the broader implications of this research, including calls for more comprehensive studies and the potential for policy changes regarding fluoride exposure during pregnancy.

Read the Full Slate Article at:
[ https://slate.com/technology/2025/01/fluoride-childrens-iq-study-pregnancy-science.html ]

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