Why – and when – was fluoride added to US drinking water in the first place?

(NEXSTAR) – On Monday U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is calling for an end to fluoridation in American communities, but when – and why – did the practice start?Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first city in the world to add fluoride to drinking water in 1945 as part of a study first sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon General, then taken over by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDR). Where does this New Mexico town rank among the 2025 &lsquo