In Florida, fluoride is now up there with mask mandates and forced Covid vaccines in the panoply of evils that a government can force upon its citizenry.

Governor DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that, while not specifically using the word “fluoride,” blocks local governments from putting “certain additives” into their local water supplies.

Equating added fluoride to Covid-era mask and vaccine mandates, he called the decades-long practice yet another example of government overreach.

“Forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people,” Mr. DeSantis said at a news conference. “They don’t have a choice, you’re taking that away from them.”

“Some of these people think they know better for you than you do for yourself,” he added.

President Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had pushed the removal of fluoride from public water supplies across the country, and Mr. DeSantis is the second governor to comply.

Mr. Kennedy — who said earlier this week that no one should listen to him for medical advice — has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin,” linking it to conditions such as arthritis, bone fractures, and thyroid disease. He has directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop recommending fluoridation in drinking water systems nationwide.

When Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in public water last week, Mr. Kennedy hailed it as a major victory for health-conscious Americans. Ohio and Texas are now considering their own bans.

The American Dental Association is aghast, saying water fluoridation is a proven method of preventing dental disease. It has called bans a “wanton disregard for the oral health and well-being” of American children.

“Eighty years of community water fluoridation at optimal levels has proven safe and effective at reducing tooth decay and maximizing citizens’ oral health,” it says.

Mr. DeSantis claims he is not against fluoride but points to plenty of other ways to get it besides water — toothpaste, for example — and says people who are concerned can make their own choices.

“They’re ignoring any studies that have shown there could be issues if you are overexposed to this,” Mr. DeSantis says. “You should be able to make decisions on the basis of informed consent.”