Fluoride and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women

Abstract

–Fluorosis is a serious public health problem in many parts of the world where drinking water contains more than 1 ppm of fluoride. Higher intake of fluoride will result in dental and skeletal fluorosis and affect collagen synthesis and bone mineralization. Approximately 99% of the body burden of fluoride is associated with calcified tissues. The fluoride concentration in bone is not uniform. Fluoride concentration in bone is not uniform and higher fluoride levels in the body are associated with calcified tissues. The study was conducted on 100 subjects with their consent which consisted of control group of 50 nonpregnant women in their reproductive age group. Study group consisted of 50 women who had attained menopause either naturally or surgically, all residing in the endemic fluorotic area of Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh, India. 5 ml of venous blood was collected from both the groups. Serum fluoride levels (0.68  0.39; p<0.005) was statically significant when compared to the controls (0.45  0.28). Serum malondialdehyde, a lipid peroxidation product, was measured as an indicator of oxidative stress induced by fluorosis, was statistically significant (287.86  49.79; p<0.001). Keywords––Fluorosis, post menopausal women, malondialdehyde, oxidative stress, osteoporosis