Dental Tribune International (12/2) reported that a new study published in Science Advances on November 21, 2025, found that adolescents exposed to recommended fluoride levels in drinking water demonstrated better cognitive performance in mathematics, reading, and vocabulary. Conducted using the High School and Beyond cohort dataset, the study analyzed over 58,000 students and found positive associations with cognitive outcomes in adolescence, though effects in later adulthood were smaller. The research challenges claims of cognitive harm from typical fluoridation and supports ongoing water fluoridation policy debates.
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