One early morning in December 2024, a national controversy arrived in the rural community of Woodlawn, Tennessee. About 15 people—a few residents but mostly dental professionals—had gathered in the backroom of the Woodlawn Utility District (WUD) building roughly an hour’s drive northwest of Nashville. Surrounded by filing cabinets and bookshelves, they waited to address the district board before it decided whether to stop adding fluoride to its water supply. Since fluoride was first add...
