Fluoride

This element is the form of fluorine in drinking water. Another form is mostly found in the bones and teeth as calcium fluoride. It hardens dental enamel, reducing your risk of getting cavities.

Small amounts of this element are in all soil, water, plants, and animal tissues. You also get a steady supply of this element from fluoridated drinking water.

Function

This element occurs naturally in the body as calcium fluoride. Small amounts of this element help reduce tooth decay. Fluoridation of tap water helps reduce cavities in children by 50 - 60%. This element also help maintain bone structure. Low doses of this element salts may be used to treat conditions that cause faster-than-normal bone loss, such as menopause.

Food Sources

This element is found in few foods but in varying quantities in water. Fluoridated water, and food prepared in fluoridated water, contains this element. Natural sodium fluoride is in the ocean, so most seafood contains this element, as well as, tea and gelatin.

The addition of this element to toothpaste is important in those areas where the water supply is low in this element. It contributes to the maintenance of bone health by supporting bone mineralization and it protects teeth against tooth decay.

Side Effects

Deficiency of this element may appear in the form of increased cavities, and weak bones and teeth. Supplementation of this element is necessary to prevent cavities, especially in children, if tap water is not fluoridated. As an example, well water is not fluoridated.

Excess amounts of this element in the diet is extremely rare.

Very large amounts of this element can cause mottling and crumbling of teeth, and changes to the bones - a condition called fluorosis.

suggested course of action

The Food and Nutrition Center of the Institute of Medicine has established dietary intakes for this element.

			topic: Fluoride