really?
Texas goes after toothpaste in escalating fight over fluoride
Colgate and Crest toothpastes are in the crosshairs.
Beth Mole
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May 2, 2025 3:50 pm
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Credit:
Getty | Credit: Evan Kissner
Credit:
Getty | Credit: Evan Kissner
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating two leading toothpaste makers over their use of fluoride, suggesting that they are "illegally marketing" the teeth cleaners to parents and kids "in ways that are misleading, deceptive, and dangerous."
The toothpaste makers in the crosshairs are Colgate-Palmolive Company, maker of Colgate toothpastes, and Proctor & Gamble Manufacturing Co., which makes Crest toothpastes. In an announcement Thursday, Paxton said he has sent Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs) to the companies.
The move is an escalation in an ongoing battle over fluoride, which effectively prevents dental cavities and improves oral health. Community water fluoridation has been hailed by health and dental experts as one of the top 10 great public health interventions for advancing oral health across communities, regardless of age, education, or income. But, despite the success, fluoride has always had detractors—from conspiracy theorists in the past suggesting the naturally occurring mineral is a form of communist mind control, to more recent times, in which low-quality, controversial studies have suggested that high doses may lower IQ in children.
The debate was renewed earlier this year when the National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences finally published a particularly contentious study after years of failed scientific reviews. The study claims to find a link between high levels of fluoride exposure and slightly lower IQs in children living in areas outside the US, mostly in China and India. But the study's methodology, statistical rigor, risk of bias, and lack of data transparency continue to draw criticism.
Paxton referenced the study in his announcement of the investigation into toothpaste makers.
Specifically, Paxton suggests that the toothpaste makers are marketing the toothpastes to encourage children to use too much, such as by adding appealing flavorings. Paxton notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Dental Association (ADA) both recommend using small amounts.
"Toothpaste manufacturers must follow state law to ensure that they aren’t putting Texas families in peril through their false, misleading, and deceptive marketing, and these CIDs will help my office discover any potential wrongdoing," Paxton said in a statement.
The ADA has continued to promote and defend the use of fluoride in community water and only awards its ADA Seal of Acceptance to toothpastes that contain fluoride.
In March, Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Florida is poised to become the second.
Beth Mole
Senior Health Reporter
Beth Mole
Senior Health Reporter
Beth is Ars Technica’s Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes.
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