New Study Finds No Fluoride-IQ Link
Analysis based on 8 articles · First reported Apr 13, 2026 · Last updated Apr 15, 2026
The new study from the University of Minnesota, United States — University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, and University of Michigan, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, provides evidence against claims that fluoride in drinking water negatively impacts IQ. This could influence policy decisions in states like United States — Florida and United States — Utah that have banned fluoride, potentially leading to a reversal of such bans and impacting the public health sector positively. The findings also challenge the anti-fluoride stance of figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which may reduce public concern and support for anti-fluoride movements.
A new study, led by researchers from the University of Minnesota, United States — University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, and University of Michigan, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, found no link between fluoride exposure from drinking water during childhood and lower IQ in adolescence or adulthood. The study tracked over 10,000 Wisconsin residents from the 1940s and 1950s, analyzing their test scores throughout their lives up to age 80. This research directly contradicts claims made by skeptics like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has advocated for removing fluoride from public water supplies, citing unsubstantiated health concerns. States such as United States — Florida and United States — Utah have already enacted bans on fluoride in public drinking water. The United States — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Historical Association continue to support community water fluoridation as a crucial public health measure for preventing tooth decay. The study's authors hope their findings will inform policy decisions in states considering or implementing fluoride bans.
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