Daily Fluoride Intake Research Articles

Fluoride intake of young male adults in the United States

The total daily fluoride intake for young male adults living in four geographical areas of the United States has been estimated by the analysis of "market basket collections" obtained in 1975 and 1977. The fluoride intake in 1975 vaired from 0.912 mg/day in an unfluoridated city (Kansas City, Mo.) to 1.720 mg/day in a fluoridated city (Atlanta, Ga.). The 1977 collection from San Francisco, Calif. contained more fluoride (1.636 mg/day) than the 1975 collection (1.213 mg/day). The level of intake found in this study is less than that reported by San Filippo and Battistone (Clin. Chem. Acta 31: 453, 1971) who analyzed similar collections from Baltimore, Md. in 1967 to 1968 (2.09 to 2.34 mg/day). This study, as well as the earlier one, indicates that relatively low levels of fluoride are being consumed in the United States by the young adult male 16 to 19 years of age.

Total Fluoride Intake of Infants

The fluoride content of commercially prepared infant foods processed in fluoridated and nonfluoridated plants has been determined. The use of fluoridated water during processing has been shown to increase significantly the fluoride content of certain infant foods. The data obtained have been employed to calculate the minimum and maximum total daily fluoride intake for infants up to 6 months of age. The maximum total daily fluoride intake for infants up to 6 months of age is 0.127 mg of fluoride per kilogram of body weight. An infant consuming human milk or cow's milk and living in a community that does have fluoridated water has a substantially lower total daily fluoride intake.

Some current aspects of environmental fluoride

This review presents a Total Environment evaluation of current inorganic fluoride intake by human populations. Inorganic fluoride is a persistant bioaccumulator, and the ever-increasing use (and release) of fluoride compounds in the environment should be of long-term concern in population sub-groups who are most susceptible, and therefore, most “at risk”. One of these sub-groups consists of people with impaired kidney function, including subjects with nephropathic diabetes. The diabetes factor is of particular relevance, not only because the incidence of diabetes has increased by 6%/yr during the period 1965–1975, but also because subjects with nephropathic diabetes can exhibit a polydipsia-polyurea syndrome that results in increased intake of fluoride, along with greater-than-normal retention of a given fluoride dosage. People with inadequate dietary intakes (particularly of Ca and/or Vitamin C) are also likely to be more “at risk” as a consequence of low-dose longterm fluoride ingestion. Evidence is presented, showing that there has been an escalation in daily fluoride intake via the total human food-and-beverage chain, with the likelihood that this escalation will continue in the future. Recent observations, relating to an increasing incidence of chronic fluoride intoxication among humans, is also emphasized.

Dietary Fluoride Intake of Infants

The fluoride content of various commercially available food items used in the preparation of the infant diet for the age groups from birth to 6 months has been analyzed and the total daily fluoride intake has been calculated on the basis of these data. The dietary fluoride intake totaled 0.32 mg/day for infants in the age group 1 to 4 weeks, increased in the subsequent months due to increasing food intake, and totaled 1.23 mg for infants 4 to 6 months of age. These fluoride intakes expressed per kilogram of body weight ranged from 0.07 mg/kg in the newborn to 0.16 mg/kg in the 6-month-old infant.

Potential effect of food processing on the fluoride content of infant foods

Although many authorities accept fluoridation of water as a safe and effective means of preventing caries, there is no consensus in the scientific literature as to the maximum safe daily intake of fluoride from all sources. Further, only a small amount of up-to-date information exists for the fluoride content of foods and beverages other than water. This paper is concerned with infant nutritional regimens and shows that fluoride added during processing may contribute toward substantial unexpected ingestion of fluoride. For some typical regimens fluoride ingestion from only one or two items in the diet may be larger than the maximum safe daily intake recommended by some authorities.

Influence of water intake on the degree of incisor fluorosis and on the incorporation of fluoride into bones and incisor teeth of mice.

Mice were given to drink sodium fluoride solutions of various concentrations and in various daily for a period of 220 days. At the end of experiment, both the fluoride content and the degree of fluorosis of the incisor teeth depended only upon the concentration of fluoride in the administered solutions. The total daily fluoride intake was without effect. Both the fluoride concentration in the drinking water and the total daily intake of fluoride produced effects in the tibiae even after 220 days of experiment. This was caused by a great proportion of the bone which was not available to fluoride exchange while the unavailable bone conserved the state existing earlier. The importance of these results for dental caries prevention is discussed. The administration of fluoride in the form of fluoridated drinking water appears to be most advantageous from this point of view.

Fluoride Availability in Fish Flour

The recent statement by the Committee on Nutrition, American Academy of Pediatrics, that fluoride in fish flour is less than 50% available is incorrect. Recent balance studies in man demonstrated an 88% absorption of fluoride present in fish flour. Fish flour contains 150 to 300 ppm fluoride. In studies conducted abroad, infants and children 2 to 5 years of age received daily between 10 to 30 gm of fish flour in their diets. Assuming a fluoride content of at least 150 ppm, the daily fluoride intake would be between 1.5 and 4.5 mg

Fluorine in leafy vegetables.

AbstractTwo small selective surveys (in 1965/6 and 1968/9) of leafy vegetables in areas known to be exposed to industrial contamination with fluorine compounds are reported. The highest fluorine content (297 p.p.m.) was found in a sample of kale in the Stoke‐on‐Trnt area. In general the results for cabbage and lettuce in 1965/6 averaged 17 p.p.m. for unwashed and 11 p.p.m. for washed vegetables on a moisture‐free basis. In the 1968/9 exercise the corresponding figures were 22 p.p.m. and 12 p.p.m. respectively. The average intake of fluoride from cabbage, lettuce and brussels sprouts in such an area has been calculated as 0·03 mg/head/day with a likely maximum of 0·08 mg/head/day (if all 3 vegetables were contaminated to the maximum levels observed). These figures are compared with the average daily intake of fluoride in the whole diet, and in particular fish, in the West Midlands area.

Study on the Fluoride Content of Foods : (Rept. 3) Daily Fluoride Intake

Study on the Fluoride Content of Foods : (Rept. 3) Daily Fluoride Intake

Studies on fluorosis of sheep. II. The toxicity of water-borne fluoride for mature grazing sheep.

Three groups each of 16 mature sheep were allowed to graze on sown pasture for 26 months. One group was given reservoir water, containing approximately 0.3 p.p.m. F, to drink, but the other two groups were offered similar water to which had been added sufficient sodium fluoride to give final concentrations of 10 or 20 p.p.m. F. During the winter months the treated groups drank only 0.5 1. or less of water per day and ingested virtually no fluoride. During the summer months the daily consumption of water by the groups which received 10 and 20 p.p.m. F rose to between 3 and 4 l., and the daily intake of fluoride, expressed as fluorine, to approximately 30 and 60 mg F respectively, equivalent to 0.4 and 0.8 mg F per kg body weight. The overall mean daily intakes of fluoride for the whole experiment by the two groups were 18 and 33 mg F or 0.24 and 0.44 mg F per kg body weight respectively. The ingestion of the amounts of fluoride supplied by drinking water containing as much as 20 p.p.m. F appeared to have no adverse effect on general health, body weight, or wool production of mature sheep over a period of 26 months. A brown deposit was present on the incisor teeth of all sheep throughout the experiment but was more pronounced during periods when the pasture was green; it did not appear to be related to fluoride intake, for it was as severe among the control sheep as among the treated ones. No mottling of the incisors or molars was observed, nor was there any evidence of excessive or uneven wear on these teeth. Ingestion of fluoride brought about increases up to threefold in the fluoride content of the bones and teeth.