The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the body whose advice underpins every fluoridation decision in the country, has confirmed it is reviewing its water fluoridation guidance.
An NHMRC spokeswoman said an expert committee will first advise on the scope of the review and the research questions it should answer. The review will draw on systematic reviews of the evidence, including recent international studies. No completion date has been given.
What the current advice says
Since the 1960s, fluoride has been added to Australian public water at between 0.6 and 1.1 milligrams per litre. The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines set a health-based maximum of 1.5 mg/L, in line with the World Health Organization.
The NHMRC currently advises that fluoridated water consumed by pregnant and breastfeeding women is safe for unborn babies and infants. That position rests on a review of the research completed in 2016, with the council's broader public statement following in 2017.
Why now
A lot of research has been published since 2016, and not all of it points the same way.
- A 2024 US National Toxicology Program systematic review concluded, with moderate confidence, that higher fluoride exposure is associated with lower IQ in children. The exposures studied were above 1.5 mg/L, which is higher than Australian dosing levels.
- A 2025 Swedish-led study of around 500 mothers and children in Bangladesh linked low-level fluoride exposure during pregnancy with subtle IQ declines at ages 5 and 10.
- A 2022 Australian study of about 2,700 children found no link between fluoride exposure and IQ, and a 2025 Australian study reached a similar conclusion.
Health authorities in Australia maintain there is no evidence of a causal link between fluoridated water in pregnancy and lower intelligence. Critics argue that is exactly the question a fresh, independent look should test.
NSW Health's fluoridation committee noted progress on the NHMRC review timeline at its May 2026 meeting, and the AMA is nominating a committee member. In January 2026 the same NSW committee agreed councils should publish fluoride results online, and that new operating conditions will require utilities to tell the public about long outages.
For context, England's 2026 health monitoring report found no link between fluoride levels and cognitive scores at ages 5 and 7.
fluoride.com.au will publish the scope document and committee membership as soon as they are released.