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Impacts of fluoride exposure on child neurodevelopment: a mechanistic study

Award Number: R01DE035954
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/04/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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Impacts of fluoride exposure on child neurodevelopment: a mechanistic study - Project Summary Water fluoridation has been a successful public health strategy for improving oral health in children. However, at high levels, fluoride can be neurotoxic in children. In recent years, an increasing body of research has raised concerns about the potential risks of fluoride exposure on children's behavioral and cognitive development. While data come from longitudinal studies with repeated measures of fluoride in pregnant women and children, the rigor of these studies have been limited because of their modest sample sizes—potentially contributing to inconsistencies, especially in sex-specific findings and across domains of neurodevelopment—and lack of investigating underlying mechanisms. Most of these studies have been conducted outside the United States (U.S.). Therefore, there is a clear need for empirical evaluation of fluoride exposure and its potential health effects on children within the context of the U.S. fluoridation program to inform future policy recommendation. We propose a mechanistic study using longitudinal data from pregnant women and their children recruited from the general population in New York City to examine the potential neurodevelopmental influences of fluoride exposure in the U.S. We hypothesize that higher prenatal exposure to fluoride will be associated with impaired executive function and externalizing problems in children. Fluoride’s influence on neurodevelopment is hypothesized to be mediated through thyroid and metabolic disturbances implicated in fetal brain development. Specific aims are: Aim 1. Examine the association of prenatal exposure to fluoride and fetal biometry measures. Aim 2. Identify the impact of prenatal exposure to fluoride on maternal prenatal thyroid function and metabolomic profile. Aim 3. Determine the impact of prenatal exposure to fluoride on executive function and externalizing behavior in childhood accounting for childhood exposure and testing sex differences. We will leverage data from 1000 mother-child pairs in NYU Children’s Health and Environment Study (NYU CHES) in NYC (pregnancy recruitment 2016-2021), and use the existing infrastructure, comprehensive omics data, banked biospecimens, repeatedly collected fetal biometry data, and neurobehavioral and cognitive assessments in children. The cohort has measures of maternal gestational metabolome and thyroid function, and child executive function and behavior is assessed at age 6 years and older. We propose to add repeated measures of urinary fluoride in pregnant women and their children through age 12-24 months and incorporate fluoride measurement in tooth dentin using a state-of-the-art method to capture exposure in pre- and postnatal periods. Understanding the pathways underlying the potential neurodevelopmental effects of fluoride will guide targeted research and intervention and add to the validity of findings.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $691,724 )
2026	2026	NEW YORK UNIVERSITY	550 1ST AVE	NEW YORK	NY	10016	NEW YORK	USA	Oral Diseases and Disorders Research	000	1	9/7/2026	NEW	$691,724
														Subtotal = $691,724

Grand Total All Awards = $691,724

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Impacts of fluoride exposure on child neurodevelopment: a mechanistic study

Award Number: R01DE035954

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DENTAL AND CRANIOFACIAL RESEARCH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/04/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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