Fluoridation of water isn't the best grounds for arguing the US is backwards, given that it has hitherto been an outlier in how much fluoridation is happening [0]. Most of the developed world doesn't come close to the reach that the US has.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_by_countr...

It gets worse

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43484093