Abstract

Microscopic examinations were made of 99 bones from 37 persons coming to necropsy who had resided 10 years or more in communities where the drinking water contained 1 to 4 ppm of naturally occurring or artificially added fluoride. Ninety-four bone specimens from 33 controls who had lived in areas where the drinking water contained less than 0.5 ppm fluoride were used for comparison.

In addition to the bone specimens, the lumbar intervertebral body joints of the subjects were examined.

The microscopic examinations showed no significant differences between the fluoride-exposed group and the control group that could be related to fluoride intake. Microscopic changes in the bones and joints incidental to aging and due to non-fluoride-related conditions were observed in both series.

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