EXCLUSIVE RFK Jr's toothy smile sparks fury as he launches crusade on dental health
The Department of Health and Human Services secretary is leading the federal government's charge against adding what the government standards say are safe amounts of fluoride in public water systems to bolster the nation's oral health.
Dr Royce Lai, a dentist based in Ontario, Canada, said after looking at a recent photo of RFK Jr: 'I can tell he needs a deep teeth cleaning as Secretary Kennedy has significant plaque and tartar buildup around the gum line.
'His gums look healthy, but are prone to gingivitis with that amount of buildup.'
Other dentists told DailyMail.com that RFK Jr's adequate dental health is thanks to elite care and a lifetime of benefits from government-backed policies dating back to WWII.
While RFK Jr may be short a few cleanings, according to Dr Lai, 'Mr. Kennedy, like everyone his age, grew up with fluoride in the water. It is expected that his generation should have fewer cavities and oral health problems than previous generations.'
Fluoride helps prevent cavities by strengthening enamel and blocking acid from decay-causing bacteria.
RFK Jr opposes it based on a study linking it to developmental issues in children, but critics say the research ignored factors like lead exposure and poverty, and used inconsistent data.
The CDC and ADA reject the findings, citing no proven link or IQ drops in fluoridated areas.
'I find it more odd more than anything because we've had fluoride in water since the 1960s without any apparent ill effects,' Dr Lai added.
'The number of cavities lessened through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and children in rural areas seemed to have improved oral health.'
Dr Mohamad Khorshid, a dentist in Toronto, gave DailyMail.com his thoughts on Kennedy's oral health based on a recent photo of him.
The off-white substance wedged between the front teeth appears to be food residue rather than harmful plaque or tartar.
'The white strip near the front teeth is likely a surgical pack to protect a gum surgery site or a possible nicotine patch. It's very hard to tell from this partial view,' he said.
Dr Sandip Sachar, a New York City-based dentist, said: 'I do not really see any significant tartar build-up on his teeth except in one spot- where it is difficult to say for sure if that is tartar or just a photographic artifact or something that is caught between his teeth.'
Dr Khorshid also noted that the teeth exhibit discoloration and moderate wear, but no severe decay. The presence of gum recession and abrasions suggests the use of aggressive brushing or grinding techniques.
'The teeth don't show severe decay or enamel erosion, which might suggest some fluoride benefit, possibly from drinking water,' Dr Khorshid added.
Evidence suggests that very high fluoride exposure, exceeding 1.5 milligrams per liter, may have a small effect on IQ.
But water fluoridation levels are far below this threshold – 0.7 mg/L – with no direct evidence linking standard fluoridation to IQ loss.
A wealth of studies consistently report that fluoridated water helps reduce the risk of tooth decay and cavities.
In 1956, researchers found that after a decade of fluoridation, only the second US city to do so, Newburgh, NY, saw 58 percent less childhood tooth decay than non-fluoridated Kingston.
Even older Newburgh children had 41 to 52 percent fewer cavities. Similarly, Evanston, IL, reported a 57 percent decline in cavities just six years after adopting fluoridation.
Dentists fear an uptick in cavities and gum disease as the anti-fluoride movement gains momentum, with states and municipalities dropping fluoridation like falling dominoes.
Alaska became the first to end mandatory fluoridation in 2007, followed by Utah in 2010.
Since then, dozens of cities have followed suit, including Portland, OR, Juneau, AK, Collier County, FL, and most recently, Union County, NC.
The trend shows no signs of slowing, with about 200 smaller municipalities having discontinued fluoridation since 2010.
Dr Khorshid said: 'The anti-fluoride movement is frustrating, as extensive research confirms fluoride safety and decay-prevention benefits at recommended levels.
'Opposition often misrepresents data, undermining public health gains, though addressing concerns with evidence remains the best approach.'
RFK Jr acknowledged that fluoride-free water will result in an uptick in cavities and tooth decay.
'It's a balance," Kennedy said during an interview on Fox News' 'The Faulkner Focus' last month. 'You're going to see probably slightly more cavities. Although in Europe, where they ban fluoride, they did not see an uptick in cavities. The issue is parents need to decide because the science is very clear on fluoride.'
Fluoride is not banned in Europe, though it is less widespread than in the US.
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While their counterparts in Europe, Canada and Japan have peacefully accepted the duller hues of natural dyes, Americans remain stubbornly attached to neon-bright candy and cereal. Case in point: in 2015, General Mills pledged to remove all artificial colors and flavorings from its products. The following year, it rolled out a natural version of Trix, the kid-friendly fruity breakfast cereal. But the muted Trix, colored by radishes, purple carrots and turmeric, was a flop. Customers missed the vibrant colors and complained that the new version didn't taste right. By 2017, 'classic Trix' had returned to grocery stores. On the other hand, when Kraft reformulated the powder for its macaroni and cheese and quietly began selling the all-natural version in December 2015, there was much less protest. As an Eater headline at the time put it: 'Kraft Changed Its Mac and Cheese and Nobody Noticed.' Perhaps it was the marketing strategy – Kraft did not bother to make a big announcement until after it had sold 50m boxes – or maybe it was because the natural dyes were just as orange as the original. (Alan recalls that her young nieces and nephews were slightly worried about the change but accepted the new mac and cheese without much fuss.) As the adage goes, we eat with our eyes. The appearance of food should not change our perceptions of how it tastes, but, as anyone who has ever bought produce knows, it definitely does. In nature, brighter colors indicate that foods are ripe and will taste good. This principle also applies to human-made food. As far back as the middle ages, according to Ai Hisano, a professor of business history at the University of Tokyo and author of Visualizing Taste: How Business Changed the Look of What You Eat, dairy farmers would mix carrot juice and annatto from achiote trees into their butter to make it a more appetizing yellow. When scientists discovered petroleum-based dyes in the mid-19th century, the dairy industry was one of the earliest adopters: the artificial dyes were cheaper, and they helped create uniform yellows for butter and cheese that appealed to shoppers. Other food producers quickly followed suit. Meat would be red! Sandwich bread would be white! Oranges – which sometimes stayed green, even when they were ripe – would be orange! By the early 20th century, the US government had started regulating food coloring to make sure it didn't kill anyone. This was also the beginning of the golden age of industrial food such as candy, breakfast cereal and, most notoriously, Jell-O, which came in colors never seen in nature. Food dye became vital for branding, Hisano writes. Even if brighter color didn't really affect flavor because the food was entirely manufactured, people perceived that it did, and that was what mattered. Would a beige Flamin' Hot Cheeto taste as spicy? 'I assume many consumers in the early 20th century were frightened by those bright-red foods,' Hisano told the Atlantic in 2017. 'But one reason consumers liked them is because they were excited about these colors they had never seen before.' And the knowledge that they were regulated by the FDA made them feel they were safe to eat. Because the identity of their products depends on color, the most resistance to Kennedy's initiative has come from America's candy manufacturers. A spokesman for the National Confectioners Association said that candy makers will not adopt natural dyes until federal regulations compel them to. Of all the biggest US food companies, only Mars, maker of M&Ms, Skittles and Starburst (incidentally, Trump's favorite candy), has not yet pledged to give up artificial dye, except for the already banned red 3. However, FDA commissioner Marty Makary told Fox News that he thinks Mars will come around sooner than later. Zissu, the food dye consultant, foresees 'an R&D sprint' to develop natural dyes before the 2027 deadline. And indeed, since May, the FDA has approved four new natural colors – three blues and one white – for a wide range of food, including juices, milk-based meal replacements, cereal, chips, sugar and ready-to-eat chicken products. But Zissu does not think that a transition to natural dyes means that the color of food will revert to a pre-industrial dullness. 'I believe we will always see the bright colors in candy and other items that consumers come to expect,' he says. 'There will just be a lot more research dedicated to getting those colors if artificial [dye] is banned.' It may also help if America's food manufacturers act en masse, as they appear to be doing: the change will be so overwhelming that, as Zissu puts it, 'neon synthetics will look as dated as trans fats.' Perhaps in a few years, we will look back at green mint chip ice-cream in wonder. (Some people already do: many ice-cream producers, including Ben & Jerry's and Häagen-Dazs, don't use green as the signifier for mint.) It seems Maha is poised to help shake America of its affair with artificial colors. But it celebrates this victory at the same time as the Trump administration guts public health infrastructure. The ice-cream industry's pledge came just 11 days after Congress passed a spending bill that will cut Medicaid spending, and therefore healthcare for millions of children, and slash Snap food assistance for US families. It came the same day that the Department of Health laid off thousands of employees. Under Trump, the government has also cut research grants to scientists studying, among other things, disease prevention and vaccines (of which Kennedy is a notorious skeptic). Underlying issues such as food and housing insecurity and child poverty that devastate children's wellbeing are likely to worsen. Alan thinks that if Kennedy is serious about improving the health of America's kids, there are much more pressing issues than food dye to work on. 'I just can't believe that someone would be given a chance to make such an impact,' she says, 'and this is what they choose to do.'
