"Mottling of Enamel" Effected by a Single Fluorine Dose

Abstract

In a study of the minimal effective dosage of fluorine, as determined by various biological criteria, one of the authors1 observed “fluorine-rickets” as a significant response to very small amounts of fluorine. The biological effectiveness of even smaller amounts of this element has been established by the discovery of the “mottling of enamel.”2 Until now, mottling of enamel has been studied only on frequently repeated fluorine administration. The question arose whether it can also be produced by a short “fluorine shock.”The following is a report on a preliminary series of experiments on 20 young rats. In the first experiment (Table I) doses from 9 to 37 mg. fluorine per kilo of b.w. were administered through a stomach tube to just weaned albino rats weighing from 21 to 35 gm. (solutions of 0.625% or less NaF and a finely dispersed sol of 0.375% or less CaF23). Such a single dose was able to produce a definite alteration on the enamel. In 3 out of 10 animals, a sharply limited milky white spot of about 1-...