Delta Dental – Follow the Money!
First, more good news about cities that have ceased to add toxic fluoridation chemicals into their public water supplies:
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Branson, Missouri, officially ceased fluoridating its municipal water supply in late 2023. Here is their ordinance.
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The City of Houston no longer fluoridates the water! EXCLUSIVE: Newly Released Records Confirm Houston, Texas is the Largest U.S. City to Stop Water Fluoridation.
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Miami-Dade County, Florida: In April 2025, the county commissioners voted 8–2 to stop fluoridating the public water supply, citing concerns over potential neurotoxic effects and advocating for personal choice.
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State College, Pennsylvania: In 2023, this municipality discontinued fluoridation, reflecting a growing trend of communities reassessing the practice.
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Brushy Creek, Texas: Also in 2023, the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District ended fluoridation, citing health concerns, personal choice, and cost-effectiveness.
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Portland, Oregon: Portland has consistently refused to fluoridate its drinking water, with voters rejecting measures to add it multiple times, most recently in 2013.
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Wichita, Kansas: Despite recommendations from health professionals, Wichita voters have rejected adding fluoride to the water supply several times, most recently in 2012.
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Abilene, Texas: The city’s decision was primarily based on changes to EPA regulations, potential warning labels regarding fluoride levels and citing recent court decision.
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Yorktown, New York: In September 2024, the town’s supervisor used his emergency powers to stop the practice.
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Somers, New York: Suspended water fluoridation in response to a federal ruling acknowledging potential risks to children. Read more here: Multiple U.S. Cities Stop Putting Fluoride in Water Supply After Federal Ruling Acknowledges Risk to Children
We anticipate that many more communities will ban fluoride as well.
The First State: In 2025, Utah became the first U.S. state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, with the law taking effect on May 7, 2025.
This is wonderful news!
Now, back to the subject of this alert: we will look at a questionable company known as Delta Dental.
Delta Dental is a registered mark of Delta Dental Plans Association. AARP endorses the AARP Dental Insurance Plan, administered by Delta Dental Insurance Company. Delta Dental Insurance Company pays royalty fees to AARP for use of its intellectual property.
In essence, Delta Dental operates as a complex network of insurance and non-profit organizations rather than as a single NGO.
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Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA)
This is the national umbrella organization for Delta Dental, and it is a not-for-profit. -
Delta Dental Member Companies and Operating States
Many of the individual Delta Dental companies (e.g., Delta Dental of Arkansas) are also non-profit, but some have for-profit segments. -
Foundations:
Delta Dental has various foundations, like the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation, which are specifically established to promote oral health through non-profit means.
How does Delta Dental profit from pushing for fluoridation of the water supply?
This was a simple question posed by someone who emailed Secure Arkansas recently.
We will try to answer the question to the best of our ability.
Delta Dental runs Medicaid managed-care dental programs in several states and has contracts with big government worth millions of dollars.
Delta Dental provides grant writing/ technical assistance to local health organizations and government entities seeking to implement fluoridation projects. So, they promote and help fund fluoridation along with applying nocuous fluoride varnish and giving toothbrushes to schools, community health centers, and clinics.
Well, we need a little history first, so let’s see how all of this started back in 2011 — a menacing and heart-breaking year — and we’ll look at who was involved in the fluoride mandate here in Arkansas.
In 2011, the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation pledged to fund the capital startup costs for fluoridation equipment in response to Act 197 which mandated fluoridation for public water systems serving 5,000 or more residents. Here is a Secure Arkansas article from 2015 that will give the reader a little more insight dealing with Delta Dental and the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH): ADH Jeff Stone Comments + More Shocking News On Delta Dental.
Several cities in Arkansas and Missouri have received grants from Delta Dental to fluoridate.
Some examples in Arkansas:
El Dorado: In 2008, El Dorado received a total of $237,000 in grants to initiate water fluoridation. This included a $137,000 federal grant and a $100,000 grant from Delta Dental.
Hot Springs: Following notification from the Arkansas Department of Health about potential funding sources, Hot Springs applied for and was awarded a grant from Delta Dental to purchase and install equipment necessary for adding fluoride to its potable water supply.
De Queen: The city of De Queen received a grant exceeding $17,000 to cover the startup costs associated with adding fluoride to its water system.
So, the Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation committed approximately $7 million over a seven-year period to fund the capital startup costs for fluoridation equipment in order to fluoridate the water. This investment aimed to cover equipment, installation, and building costs for at least 35 of our water systems.
See this Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) pdf: Rules Pertaining to Public Water Systems. Page 28 mentions Delta Dental funding.
The sinister grants work this way:
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Grants typically fund startup costs: fluoridation systems, tanks, injectors, safety equipment, and training.
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Once installed, cities usually have to pay ongoing chemical and maintenance costs themselves, unless additional grant money is found.
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Some grants have conditions that tie a city into fluoridating for a minimum number of years… or risk repaying the funds.
Was it out of the goodness of their heart that they were doing this, or what? NO! Government promotes the corporate agenda and has law-making authority to enforce deadly policies!
Let’s see how the medical mafia works and where taxpayer money went because we were there on the front lines, attended many meetings, and witnessed first-hand the bullying that occurred:
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For the record, many water districts and their operators opposed using fluoride chemicals, and they did not want to put those deadly chemicals in the water, let alone handle the poison product – or try to regulate the highly toxic waste! They all knew how dangerous the raw product actually was and the harm it was capable of causing. (It doesn’t take a genius to know what a skull & crossbones is when it appears on all raw fluoride products.) They knew that the hazardous fluoride would eat holes in the concrete and quickly corrode their expensive equipment.
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Water districts were heavily bullied and threatened to fluoridate, hearing, “You could lose your job, it’s the law now,” and hearing from ADH that they will be severely fined if they don’t comply with putting in the industrial waste from phosphate fertilizer industry (fluoride) product.
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Water districts were made to sign a Delta Dental contract. At least 33 water systems in Arkansas did have to enter into contracts with Delta Dental of Arkansas to support community water fluoridation efforts — and were obligated. If they failed to continue to fluoridate while under contract, they would have to pay back in full to Delta Dental all the money from the start-up costs.
For example, in 2015, Marion County entered into a 10-year contract with Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation, and it’s up this year in 2025. Shown below is that contract:
Regarding another water authority, click here to read the proposed Fluoridation Grant Agreement between Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation and Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority (OMRPWA). Please note that OMRPWA did NOT accept this Delta Dental grant or sign the contract. Andy Anderson, Chair of OMRPWA, stated, “It was NOT really a grant, but a loan. You had to strictly abide by their rules, or you would have to pay back the loan.” The board knew they were going to fight fluoridation from the very beginning, and they were adamant that they DID NOT and DO NOT want to fluoridate because fluoride is a toxic chemical, and most of the water customers in the district would NOT pay their bill if fluoride was added to the water.
Back to start up costs for fluoridation under Act 197: we also need to know that this Arkansas initiative, or rather this premeditated plan, was a “pledge to fund” and a collaborative effort involving multiple organizations and the dictatorial NGO Delta Dental. They’re all in cahoots together promoting and supporting fluoridation:
1) Delta Dental — the main funder and promoter of water fluoridation.
2) Funded and governed by the State of Arkansas – Arkansas Department of Health’s Office of Oral Health. Led in 2011 by Dr. Lynn Mouden, the office coordinated efforts to promote water fluoridation across the state.
3) Arkansas Oral Health Coalition: An NGO and network of stakeholders advocating for improved oral health policies and practices.
4) The Pew Charitable Trusts: An NGO; provided lobbying support to advance fluoridation legislation.
5) Funded and governed by the State of Arkansas – University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS): Publicly endorsed Act 197 and its so-called public health benefits, especially Dr. Jim Raczynski, then Dean of the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health.
They get their funds from:
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State and federal government
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Patient care revenue
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Research grants
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Philanthropy — ding, ding, ding
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And in February of this year, 2025, UAMS received a $30,000 grant from the Delta Dental Foundation to continue providing comprehensive dental care and “education” to underserved communities.
6) the Arkansas State Dental Association: an NGO, and
7) the American Dental Association: an NGO; Both of these organizations supported the fluoridation mandate.
While Delta Dental of Arkansas Foundation was the primary financial contributor, these organizations played crucial roles in advocating for fluoridating our water, coordinating, and supporting everything in order to implement the fluoridation initiative successfully.
We remember thinking, “Are all of these organizations on board with this dangerous deception that adding fluoride to the drinking water is actually good for people???
Say it ain’t so…”
Can you see how this game is played? —
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“Promote the propaganda,
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dump the toxic waste into the water,
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keep your mouth shut…
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and the money keeps flowing!”
Through these organizations’ efforts to mandate/force fluoride, they have helped poison a significant number of Arkansans for over FOURTEEN YEARS now.
Most Arkansans are still forced to drink fluoridated tap water to date, given that SB2 failed in Arkansas’ last 2025 legislative session. SB2 would have repealed the statewide fluoridation program and removed the mandate for water systems to maintain a fluoride content.
More recently, in 2023, the Delta Dental Foundation allocated $36,888 to support and continue community water fluoridation initiatives.
As noted above, several cities in Arkansas and Missouri have received grants from Delta Dental to fluoridate.
Some examples in Missouri:
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Springfield: City Utilities of Springfield was awarded a $20,864 grant from Delta Dental of Missouri to replace aging fluoride bulk storage tanks, facilitating the continuation of its water fluoridation program.
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Cabool: In 2024, Delta Dental of Missouri awarded the Cabool Water Department a $6,278 oral health grant to replace local community water fluoridation equipment, helping to prevent tooth decay among the more than 2,200 individuals served by the city’s water service.
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Multiple Communities: In 2021, Delta Dental of Missouri distributed nearly $150,000 in grants to 15 communities and counties, including Albany, Dexter, Glasgow, Kahoka, Liberty, Louisiana, Monroe City, Osage Beach, Pacific, Slater, Springfield, Trenton, and Butler, Cole, and Jefferson counties. These funds were allocated for establishing new systems or upgrading existing equipment related to community water fluoridation.
So, the main groups that fund grants for the ludicrous water fluoridation projects across America are:
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Delta Dental Foundations (state-level branches)
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State Health Departments
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Pew Charitable Trusts
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Non-profit Organizations (NGOs)
Wow! Delta Dental’s Executive Compensation is extremely high, especially for a non-profit organization, and they look suspicious:
Delta Dental and their personnel — President & CEO, Ed Choate, received $1,511,148 in total compensation.
Kristin Merlo (pictured below) is the current President & CEO of Delta Dental of Arkansas.
She received a total compensation of $924,833 in 2022. Moreover, she held previous roles as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Delta Dental of Virginia, and including Chief Sales, Information, and Marketing Officer at Delta Dental of Washington.
And what about Delta Dental of Missouri? Take a look at what past President & CEO, E. B. Rob Goren, received in 2022: a total compensation of $1,154,336. Also, Barbara C. Bentrup, CFO & Corporate Counsel, earned $1,018,181 in that same year. Here’s a Form 990; plus a 990 Report and grant information. Delta Dental of Missouri reported total assets of a whopping $216,935,116!
As of April 2025, the current President and CEO of Delta Dental of Missouri is Michael Jones (pictured below).
Jones was previously the President and CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona, and while there, in January 2025 as the CEO of Delta Dental of Arizona, he was named to the board of directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco’s branch office in Los Angeles. His executive compensation with Delta Dental of Arizona was $939,425 and also $182,594.
Not surprisingly, Delta Dental has faced significant investigations and legal challenges in recent years, primarily involving antitrust allegations and data security breaches.
1) Antitrust Laws –– In 2019, the American Dental Association (ADA) and numerous individual dental providers filed a consolidated class action lawsuit against Delta Dental Plans Association and its state affiliates. The plaintiffs allege that Delta Dental engaged in anticompetitive practices, including:
Market Allocation: Dividing the U.S. market into exclusive territories for its state insurers, effectively eliminating competition within those territories. (a $13 billion scheme!)
Price Fixing: Unlawfully setting reimbursement rates for dental services at artificially low levels, forcing dentists and dental practices to accept below-market rates.
As of April 2024, the plaintiffs have requested the court to certify the case as a class action, asserting that approximately 240,000 dental providers have been substantially harmed by the alleged conspiracy.
2) Data Breach — In May 2023, Delta Dental of California experienced a significant data breach due to a vulnerability in the MOVEit file transfer software. The breach compromised sensitive personal information, including financial account details, affecting approximately 7 million individuals.
The company reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights, as required by HIPAA regulations.
The Arkansas fluoride mandate (Act 197) is a perfect example of both governmental power and corporate control working hand-in-hand to deal with the general public and dump their toxic poison into us. We cannot afford to forget that the government is a FOR-PROFIT OPERATION. (After all, the government has invested in many top corporations.) It is the government that tells us that we are forced to drink the poison fluoridated tap water.
Delta Dental colludes with government entities or actions that influence public policy.
And, Delta Dental has longstanding contracts with government programs, including the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). Since 1987, Delta Dental has administered dental insurance for federal employees, annuitants, and their families. This extensive involvement in federal programs positions Delta Dental as a significant player in shaping dental insurance policies.
Thankfully, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has taken a firm stance against water fluoridation.
Earlier this month “at a joint press conference held in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin highlighted their concerns about fluoridation and announced initial actions their respective agencies will take to address known and potential side-effects of the practice.
During his presentation, the HHS Secretary condemned fluoridation and called on state legislators to pass laws banning it, reflecting a major positive change within HHS leadership on this issue. He went on to say:
“In the era of fluoridated toothpaste and mouthwash, it makes no sense to have fluoride in our water. The evidence against fluoride is overwhelming. In animal models and in human models we know that it causes IQ loss. Profound IQ loss. And it’s dose-related. So the more fluoride you get, the higher the levels in your drinking water and your urine, the more likely it is you’ll lose IQ, and also other neurological injuries like ADHD. Science indicates that it affects kidney health, it affects liver health, it causes hypothyroidism, and it causes osteoarthritis. Women who are more exposed have up to 50% more hip fractures than women who are unexposed. It causes fluorosis in between 40-80% of our kids. It makes no sense to have it in our water supply.”
He has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to cease recommending the practice nationwide, citing concerns over potential health risks.
April is Autism Awareness month.
Check out this short NBC News video from April 10:
RFK Jr. pushes fluoride policy review, cites autism concerns.
A snippet:
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told President Trump that new research linking fluoride exposure to lower IQ in children is prompting a reassessment of federal fluoride policies. He also announced a major international effort to identify the cause of rising autism rates, with findings expected by September.
And lastly, here are two articles you may want to read for further information:
Water Fluoridation Linked to Autism, Other Developmental Delays in New Study
An excerpt:
Autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual disability and specific delays in development were all found at higher rates among children exposed to fluoride during their first decade of life.
That Fluoride Added to Your Town Water to ‘Prevent Cavities?’ The EPA Says It’s Hazardous Waste
From the article:
Rosenstein said the rules, violations, accidents, cover-ups, corruption and general lack of accountability that kept fluoridation going in Utah are happening everywhere.
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