New law allows dental assistants, nurses to give kids fluoride
New York is opening the floodgates for more medical providers to administer fluoride to kids as President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration floated a proposal that could limit access.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a law on Saturday allowing dental assistants and licensed practical nurses to apply topical fluoride treatments to kids’ teeth – a treatment previously left up to providers such as medical dentists, pediatricians and dental hygienists. The law, which goes into effect immediately, attempts to open new pathways for children to get treatments that can prevent cavities and tooth decay, as workforce challenges and high costs create barriers for individuals and families to access the treatment from their dentist.
The law will expand the number of providers statewide who can give fluoride treatment to kids, combatting workforce challenges that have created long waiting lists for dental care, said Jean Moore, director of the Center for Health Workforce Studies at SUNY Albany. The law may help kids access preventive oral care in school clinics, federally qualified health centers and pediatricians’ offices, Moore said, and comes as the incoming federal administration has raised a proposal that could undermine efforts to administer fluoride in public drinking water.
The new law has been in the works since last spring, but Hochul signed it just two days after Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – a known fluoride skeptic – to become the new head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy vowed to tackle fluoridation of drinking water before Trump won the presidency, saying earlier this month that he would advise public water systems to eliminate fluoride as early as inauguration day. Fluoridation of drinking water, deemed one of the last century’s greatest public health achievements, cannot be banned by the federal government because it’s up to states and local jurisdictions. But skepticism from federal health officials has reignited the anti-fluoride movement and created uncertainty about access to preventive oral health treatment.
“Fluoride is scientifically proven to prevent cavities and protect our kids’ teeth,” Hochul said in a statement on Saturday, emphasizing that it is critical to maintain kids’ oral health. The governor’s office did not answer questions from Crain’s about additional measures to ensure access to fluoride in New York under the incoming Trump administration.
Fluoride is a key tool to prevent cavities and tooth decay. Communities that add the recommended levels of fluoride to drinking water can reduce cavities among both adults and children by 25%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York has fluoridated its drinking water since the 1960s, providing access to the treatment for 13 million people.
