By the 1950s, the U.S. government's Public Health Service and the American Dental Association acknowledged the success of water fluoridation in reducing cavities. That led to the broad U.S. adoption of adding fluoride in community water supplies and eventually its inclusion in dental products such as toothpaste and mouthwash.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called the fluoridation of water “forced medication,” saying it violates “informed consent.”

Florida became the second state to ban fluoride in its water supply on Thursday, as use of the mineral used to strengthen teeth increasingly comes under attack from Republicans.