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Fluoride, Neurodevelopment, and Cognition: A National Toxicology Program Monograph

December 3, 2024
2:00 pm US Eastern Time

People are exposed to fluoride through a variety of sources, including drinking water and dental care products. A recent Monograph by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) systematically examined existing literature to evaluate the evidence on links between fluoride exposure and neurodevelopmental and cognitive effects in humans. The review included human, animal, and mechanistic studies. 

Studies on children were divided into those focusing on IQ and those focusing on other cognitive or neurodevelopmental outcomes. They were further categorized based on the quality of the studies. Among 19 studies that examined the relationship between fluoride exposure and children’s IQ and were considered to be high quality, 18 “reported an inverse association between estimated fluoride exposure and IQ.” The majority of lower-quality studies also found an inverse association. The NTP Monograph concluded there is moderate confidence in the scientific evidence that showed an association between higher levels of fluoride and lower IQ in children.

In this webinar, Dr. Kyla Taylor discussed the NTP systematic review, NTP monograph on the state of the science concerning fluoride exposure and neurodevelopment and cognition: a systematic review. Dr. Andrew Rooney joined for the discussion portion of the webinar.

This webinar was moderated by Dr. Jerry Heindel, Director of Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, a program of Environmental Health Sciences.

Featured Speakers

Kyla W. Taylor, PhD is an epidemiologist and Health Scientist in the Integrative Health Assessments Branch in the Division of Translational Toxicology at NIEHS.  She is Program Lead of the DTT’s Consumer Products and Therapeutics Program Management Team and conducts primary research on personal care product use and associated health outcomes. With a focus on effective utilization of environmental epidemiology data, Dr. Taylor’s areas of expertise include systematic review assessments and developing, evaluating, and promoting harmonization of systematic review methods in hazard identification. She received her BA from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, her MS in Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Andrew Rooney, PhD is acting Chief of the Integrative Health Assessments Branch of the Division of Translational Toxicology (DTT) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Rooney is a thought leader in the field, actively involved in developing risk assessment methods, systematic review guidance, and advanced informatics approaches throughout his professional career. He led the team that developed the OHAT Approach to systematic review and evidence integration – a key step in bringing systematic review methods into toxicology and environmental health. Rooney has co-authored over 100 contributions to the peer-reviewed literature and government assessments such as NTP Monographs, EPA IRIS Toxicological Reviews, and WHO Guidelines. He has also served on expert committees for U.S. and international organizations including the EPA Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals, National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine, European Food Safety Authority, and World Health Organization's Chemical Risk Assessment Network. Rooney received his Sc.B. in Biology with Honors from Brown University and completed his graduate training at the University of Florida, earning a M.S. and Ph.D. in Zoology.

This webinar was hosted by the EDC Strategies Partnership, which is co-chaired by Sharyle Patton (Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center), Jerry Heindel and Sarah Howard (Environmental Health Sciences' Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, HEEDS), Génon Jensen (Health and Environment Alliance, HEAL), and Rachel Massey (Collaborative for Health and Environment, CHE). To see a full list of past calls and webinars related to EDCs and listen to or view recordings, please visit our partnership page.