Report from the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature: LDA Successful in STOPPING Fluoride Ban

Dr. Gizelle Richard
Chair, Council on Government Affairs

Annette Droddy
Executive Director, LDA

Note: The header photo is a group photo of everyone who attended the hearing where SB2 was voted down. These dental health advocates and many more who contacted their legislators, testified, or completed interviews are the reason we were successful!

The 2025 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature adjourned sine die on Thursday, June 12. In the final days, lawmakers passed important policies, finalized a $51 billion budget, and set the stage for future work.

Here are a few bills of interest:

SB 2 as originally filed by Senator Mike Fesi was the bill that would prohibit any public water system from adding fluoride to the water. It was amended in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee to require voters to sign a petition to call for an election to vote on fluoridation. The amendment still ultimately would ban fluoride as it would make it very onerous and expensive to call for a vote and get the funds to put equipment back into the water systems that had previously had community water fluoridation.

In a 10-5 vote on May 28 in House Health and Welfare, the bill was voted down. However, in a last-minute effort to ban fluoride, Senator Fesi tried to have the fluoride ban amended onto two other bills. One of the bills was ruled “not germane.” The second bill, HB 690 by Rep. Chuck Owens, went to conference committee. The LDA sent out grassroots alerts again and Rep. Owens chose not to amend his bill to add the fluoride ban.

How were we successful in voting down the fluoride ban? It is simple: grassroots advocacy. We put our contact dentist system into place many years ago and it still works. Dentists from all over the state worked together to educate their legislators on the benefits of community water fluoridation. A coalition of interested groups was organized with CareQuest, and we met often and communicated frequently regarding testimony.

Hundreds of emails were sent and phone calls made. Dentists and the broader scientific community support community water fluoridation as one of the top public health measures of the 20^th century.

So, what’s next? Unfortunately, the fight for community water fluoridation is probably not over, but you can do two things to help:

1) let the LDA know if you have met or know any of the legislators. Again, we want to continue building that contact dentist system; and

2) educate your legislators. If you know, or see, any of the legislators at events and meetings, talk to them about fluoride. Let them know the long term effects of removing fluoride from our water, because typically those that have the least are those that have the most to lose – 55% of the children who quality for dental Medicaid do NOT see a dentist. They needed us to speak up for them and we did!  

HB 340 by Rep. Candace Newell was the LDA’s bill that would allow the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry to move its headquarters to Orleans Parish. The bill passed and is waiting for the Governor’s signature at the time this article was written. UPDATE, 6/26: The Governor vetoed this bill. 

HB 543 by Rep. Wayne McMahen was the LDA’s bill that would allow Louisiana to join the American Association of Dental Board's (AADB) compact for dentists and hygienists. The bill passed and is waiting for the Governor’s signature at the time this article was written.

In conjunction with Dr. Don Donaldson, the Medicaid Task Force, and DAP-PAC, over $12 million in state and federal match funds were secured once again for Louisiana’s Dental Incentive Payment Program (DIPP). Practices will continue to earn incentive payments based on their performance on quality measures. Clinic performance will be tracked by the dental plans and reported to LDH twice a year. The program will include the following three measures.

• DIPP-1: Timely Recall Visit: Rate of routine exams performed within 175 to 235 days from the previous exam (ages one and older).
• DIPP-2: Twice Annual Fluoride: Rate of second topical fluoride applications performed within 175 to 235 days of previous topical fluoride for children (ages one through 20).
• DIPP-3: Rate of Restorative Care: Rate of restorative services performed within 0 to 180 days of a routine exam (ages three and older).

The purpose of the funds is to help dentists with workforce expenses to call/text/email/reach out to patients’ families and get them back into the office for continued care. The original DIPP payments from the funds from 2024 (fiscal year 24/25) should be sent to dentists from the two plans by July 8.  

We were also able to secure over $9,000,000 to be directed to implement the addition of support coordination services to the Medicaid home and community-based waiver programs (IDD dental Medicaid), pending CMS approval. More information will be available as soon as we know additional details. 

HB 423 by Rep. Jeremy LaCombe originally required ALL health care providers to go through multiple methods and additional exercises to display evidence of proper licensing in advertising. The LDA worked with the bill sponsor throughout session to educate him on the requirements already placed on dentists for clarity in licensure within the dental office. In the end, the bill passed allowing the individual state boards to promulgate the necessary rules. Since the Dental Practice Act is already clear on those rules, dentistry is likely in good standing.

Throughout session, the lobbying team monitored approximately 30 bills impacting dentistry, as well as others as they were amended and changed.

Again, it is through the support of the LDA’s contact dentist network, along with the additional financial support from the ADA’s State Public Affairs grant, that the LDA was able to support (or oppose or amend, as necessary) bills that would cause a great impact to the profession.

It is more important than ever to let the LDA know if you are a friend, relative, or dentist of an elected official. We need contact dentists! It makes all the difference during the legislative session when we have contact dentists for each legislator on important committees impacting dentistry such as finance, health and welfare, and insurance. Our contact dentists and grassroots advocacy made all the difference in defeating this session’s fluoride ban!