On Dec. 19, 2024, a University of Queensland (UQ) study has found no link between exposure to water fluoridation as a young child and negative cognitive development.

Professor Loc Do from UQ’s School of Dentistry said the IQ scores of 357 people who had participated in the 2012–2014 National Child Oral Health Study were assessed by registered psychologists to see if their exposure to fluoride as a young child impacted their brain development.

With the participants now aged 16 to 26 years old, we found those who’d consistently been drinking fluoridated water had an IQ score 1.07 points higher on average than those with no exposure,” Professor Do said. “We also found people who had dental fluorosis – a reliable biomarker related to excessive fluoride intake in early childhood – had IQ scores 0.28 points higher on average than those without. “Water fluoridation, as practiced in Australia, is safe for children’s development.”

This study is the second phase of research conducted by Professor Do’s team – the first phase found no difference in behavioural development and executive functioning in children exposed to fluoridated water compared to those who had no exposure. The research was published in the Journal of Dental Research.