News Health & Medicine FDA plan to ban fluoride supplements baffles and alarms dental experts The move could mean further oral health decay, especially in rural areas Fluoride tablets and drops are prescribed to prevent tooth decay in places without fluoride in the water, such as U.S. rural communities. geckophotos/ iStock/Getty Images Plus By Tina Hesman Saey 9 seconds ago A decades-old dental health treatment may soon vanish in the United States. Access to fluoride supplements, prescribed to prevent cavities in children without access to fluoridated water, is now under threat from a controversial move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency announced May 13 that it plans to remove fluoride products that can be ingested by children from the market, citing concerns about potential harm to gut microbes, links to thyroid disorders, weight gain and decreased IQ. Sign up for our newsletter We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.