Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade residents overwhelmingly value the opinion of dentists over politicians when it comes to oral health, and more are for fluoridation of the county’s tap water than against it, new polling shows.
A whopping 89% of people living in Miami-Dade say they trust what dentists say about water fluoridation over politicians. Accordingly, 48% said they either strongly or somewhat support the practice compared to 31% who oppose it — a net approval of +17.
MDW Communications surveyed 1,049 Miami-Dade residents online April 2-5. Respondents were 35% Democrats, 35% Republican and 30% third- or no-party. The sample was split 50-50 between men and with, and respondents were 68% Hispanic, 19% non-Hispanic White, 8% Black or Caribbean, and 4.5% of another racial or ethnic background.
There is a 3-percentage-point margin of error for the poll, which was commissioned by EDGE Communications, the lead consulting firm to Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who supports water fluoridation.
“This isn’t about politics,” EDGE Communications President Christian Ulvert said in a statement. “It’s about protecting our families and standing with science and public health.”
Miami-Dade Commissioners voted 8-2 last week to remove cavity-preventing fluoride from the county’s tap water within 30 days, ending a program that has existed locally since the 1950s.
Supporters of the change proposed by Commissioner Rob Gonzalez, including Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, cited studies linking fluoride consumption to bone damage and lower IQ levels in early childhood development.
Opponents argued that the concentration of fluoride in the county’s water is too low to hurt people and stressed its health benefits, particularly for poorer residents.
Levine Cava has since said she may veto Gonzalez’s measure and on Monday hosted a roundtable discussion with health professionals endorsing fluoridation as a safe, proven way to aid the oral wellbeing of residents.
The MDW-EDGE poll also found that Levine Cava is the most trusted of five people involved in one form or another with the fluoridation debate. Others included Ladapo, Gov. Ron DeSantis, President Donald Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The poll also included opinions of Elon Musk and the Miami Herald, which has reported extensively about the fluoridation issue.
Pollsters found Levine Cava has a net approval rating of +21, with 47% of respondents either strongly or somewhat supporting her, 26% disapproving and 27% who are neutral. She ranked the third-least polarizing figure on the list, behind Ladapo and the Miami Herald, about which 24.5% and 27% of respondents reported strong feelings, respectively.
About 40% of Miami-Dade residents feel strongly about Levine Cava, compared to 66% who said the same about Kennedy, 73% who said so about DeSantis, 80% who said so about Musk and 87% who are either all in or all out on Trump.
Ladapo is most disliked, with -10 net approval. Trump, Kennedy and Musk each hold net approval ratings of -6. DeSantis is about even. The Miami Herald has a net approval of more than +14.
Of Miami-Dade’s 34 municipalities, just four — Florida City, Hialeah, Homestead and Miami Beach — have water systems independent from the county. All four still add fluoride to their water supplies, too.
2 comments
PeterH
April 9, 2025 at 3:10 pm
Children are the victims of un-fluoridated drinking water. Republicans are OK with chlorine added to water to kill bacteria but call fluoridation unnecessary gubberment medication.
Michael K
April 10, 2025 at 7:13 am
For most of American history, teeth rotted and people had to wear dentures. Fluoridating water dramatically improved the dental health of Americans.
But here we are – environmental protections disappearing, children dying of measles because of misinformation, conspiracy theorists oust Pentagon officials ,and junk “science” about contrails sane washes another debunked conspiracy theory.