内容摘要：Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., votes aye at the final moment as the Senate Finance Committee holds a roll call vote to approve the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., votes aye at the final moment as the Senate Finance Committee holds a roll call vote to approve the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators announced an effort Tuesday to phase out ingestiblesupplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth, opening a new front inagainst a mainstay of dental care.

said it will conduct a scientific review of the children’s products by late October with the aim of removing them from the market. Formally withdrawing medical products requires a lengthy rulemaking process that can take years. Instead, the FDA will ask manufacturers to voluntarily pull their products, according to an administration official.Fluoride tablets and lozenges are sometimes recommended for children and teens at increased risk of tooth decay or cavities because of low fluoride in their local drinking water. Companies also sell drops for babies.

said the products pose a risk when swallowed because they may interfere with healthy gut bacteria that are critical to digestion, immunity and other key bodily functions. He also referenced studies showing possible associations between excess fluoride intake and other problems,

The nation’s leading dental group said Tuesday the studies “do not in fact demonstrate any harmful effects” from fluoride at the levels used by dentists.All of this, Joseph said, contributes to better outcomes. With thousands of patients over about 26 years, she and her colleagues have never had a maternal death.

— which refers to the death of a woman from pregnancy or childbirth complications during or within 42 days of a pregnancy — generally has been rising in the U.S. About 700 women die each year, with another 60,000 suffering related injuries or severe complications.A controversial study recently attributed the increase to a change in how they’re recorded: a “pregnancy checkbox” on death certificates recommended by the National Center for Health Statistics partly to fix an undercount. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and many doctors pushed back against

, which suggested the rate is about 10 in 100,000 live births. Some say the true rate may be somewhere in between — meaning it’s still higher than other wealthy nations.Midwife Stephanie Wood examines Courtney Knight during a pregnancy checkup. Midwives at Commonsense Childbirth are striving to provide good, accessible care. (AP Photo/Laura Ungar)