In the wake of Donald Trump's presidential election win, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former presidential candidate and Trump ally, said the new Trump administration will make removing fluoride from public water in the U.S. a day one priority.

Trump has said Kennedy, who has frequently pushed theories, including around vaccines and 9/11, is poised to take on a key role in the administration's approach to public health. Kennedy claims fluoride is connected to arthritis, bone fractures, cancer and IQ loss, among other illnesses, but are these ideas founded in fact?

Fluoride is a mineral that, according to groups like the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is vital for dental health. It repairs and prevents the damage caused by the bacteria that produces acid whenever a person eats or drinks, according to the CDC. Fluoride replaces the minerals broken down by those acids, strengthening our teeth and reducing cavities.

The U.S. has been adding fluoride to water since 1950, when the federal government endorsed the practice as a way of preventing tooth decay and cavities. Neil Maniar, director of Northeastern University's Master of Public Health program and professor of practice in public health, says fluoridation of water was "one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century." Maniar says the introduction of fluoride into drinking water has reduced cavities by 25%.

It's why groups like the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still support water fluoridation, which is not mandated by the federal government.

However, Kennedy's concerns are not entirely unfounded, even if they are misguided and misdirected, says Phil Brown, university distinguished professor of sociology and health sciences at Northeastern and director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute.

For many Americans, fluoride now comes from a variety of different sources, not just our water. It's in toothpaste, mouthwash, some food and beverages and the care received by a dentist, although the primary source remains drinking water.

"What's happening is that there's a lot more other places where people are getting fluoride -- in food products, in beverages -- and they add up to a higher level of fluoride than what is good," Brown says.

With more sources of fluoride, comes an increased risk of fluorosis, a tooth condition that, in its most common form, darkens or discolors the teeth. If left untreated, it can damage the enamel and make teeth "more prone to decay," Brown says. In 2015, federal officials lowered the recommended amount of fluoride in drinking water in response to fluorosis becoming more common, especially among children. The CDC notes that most fluorosis in the U.S. is mild in nature.