Tooth decay can begin very early in a child’s life. If five states ban fluoride in drinking water, the costs to Medicaid for a significant increase in kids with cavities could top $40 million within three years, a new analysis finds. CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, a nonprofit which advocates for fluoridation, used Medicaid claims data and survey responses to predict the outcomes if the five states — Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and Oklahoma — stopped adding fluoride to water systems. Florida has already banned it; the other states have legislation in the works to ban it or make it optional. Within three years, 132,572 additional children would need a cavity filled or a tooth pulled, according to the analysis. In Florida, which banned community water fluoridation last year, 52,131 children beyond what would normally be expected would need such dental care.…