Podcast: Fluoride Flak

UConn School of Dental Medicine faculty weigh in on public health benefits

collage Drs. Katechia and Gopalakrishna at microphones

Drs. Bina Katechia and Aadarsh Gopalakrishna from the UConn School of Dental Medicine speak to the recent controversy over fluoride on the February 2025 UConn Health Pulse podcast. (Ethan Giorgetti, UConn Health)

The UConn Health Pulse Podcast logo.
The UConn Health Pulse Podcast brings a variety of expertise on health topics to the general public.

In our public water supply for more than 80 years, fluoride is now a subject that’s kicking up some controversy in some circles. On the latest UConn Health Pulse podcast, Dr. Bina Katechia, interim chair of the UConn School of Medicine’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry, and Dr. Aadarsh Gopalakrishna, chair of the school’s Division of General Dentistry, explain how fluoride contributes to oral health and public health and weigh in on whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks of keeping it in our water.

There’ve been so many multiple studies done on the benefits of fluoride, but there are also studies that show when communities have removed fluoride from their water, then cavities tend to increase. — Dr. Bina Katechia

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