Abstract
Fluoride from fluoridated water accumulates not only in the enamel of teeth but also in the skeleton. The effects of fluoridated water on the skeleton are not well understood, yet there is some evidence that fluoridated water consumption increases the incidence of fractures. In the present study, femoral bending strength was measured in rats on fluoride intakes that ranged from low levels to levels well above natural high fluoride drinking water. Bone strength followed a biphasic relationship with bone fluoride content. Fluoride had a positive effect on bone strength for lower fluoride intakes and a negative influence on bone strength for higher fluoride intakes. The vertebral fluoride content at which femoral strength was maximum was between 1,100 and 1,500 ppm. The increase in femoral strength at this fluoride level was not accompanied by an increase in femoral bone density. The optimal fluoride content is within the range of bone fluoride contents found in persons living in regions with fluoridated water (1 ppm) for greater than 10 years.
NOTE from FAN: In subsequent studies, Turner was unable to duplicate the beneficial effects on bone strength which he found at low doses in this study. As Turner noted in a more extensive, follow-up study: “the present results showed no evidence of increased bone strength resulting from fluoride levels below 16 ppm.” – Ref: J Dent Res; 1995; Vol 74: 1475-81.
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Effects of fluoride on rat vertebral body biomechanical competence and bone mass
For more than 30 years, sodium fluoride has been a commonly used therapeutic agent for established osteoporosis because of its repeatedly documented anabolic effect on trabecular bone mass. Recent clinical and experimental studies have, however, indicated a possible detrimental effect of fluoride on bone strength. Thus, the efficacy of fluoride
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The impact of fluoride in drinking water on oral health and skeletal system of school children
Modern life styles even among people in rural areas have created an increased demand for dental cosmetology. Dental fluorosis due to its cosmetic effect gains more public health importance today. In the scenario of increasing awareness of environmental health hazards, among people, the research into the biology of fluorosis conducted
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Effect of ultrastructural changes on the toughness of bone.
The ultrastructure of bone can be considered as a conjunction between the biology and the biomechanics of the tissue. It is the result of cellular and molecular activities of bone formation, and its organization dominates the mechanical behavior of bone. Following this perspective, the objective of this review is to
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Changing the structurally effective mineral content of bone with in vitro fluoride treatment
Bovine femur cortical bone specimens were tested in tension after being treated in vitro for 3 days with sodium fluoride solutions of different molarity (0.145, 0.5, and 2.0M). The treatments alter the mechanical properties of the bone samples with different degrees as compared to control samples (untreated). The mechanical properties
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Effects of fluoride on metabolism and mechanical properties of rat bone
Young rats were maintained, over a 2-week period, on laboratory chow and distilled water or water supplemented with 200 ppm fluoride. Metaphyseal and diaphyseal bone of the femurs and tibias of control and treated rats were analyzed. After fluoride treatment there was a decrease of lipid and citrate content and
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"Pre-Skeletal" Fluorosis
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Skeletal Fluorosis Causes Bones to be Brittle & Prone to Fracture
It has been known since as the early as the 1930s that patients with skeletal fluorosis have bone that is more brittle and prone to fracture. More recently, however, researchers have found that fluoride can reduce bone strength before the onset of skeletal fluorosis. Included below are some of the
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Fluoride & Osteoarthritis
While the osteoarthritic effects that occurred from fluoride exposure were once considered to be limited to those with skeletal fluorosis, recent research shows that fluoride can cause osteoarthritis in the absence of traditionally defined fluorosis. Conventional methods used for detecting skeletal fluorosis, therefore, will fail to detect the full range of people suffering from fluoride-induced osteoarthritis.
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The Relationship Between Fluoride, Bone Density, and Bone Strength
Although fluoride has generally been found to reduce the bone density of cortical bone, it is well documented that fluoride can increase the density of trabecular bone (aka cancellous bone). Trabecular bone is the primary bone of the spine, whereas cortical bone is the primary bone of the legs and arms. While increases in
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Skeletal Fluorosis: The Misdiagnosis Problem
It is a virtual certainty that there are individuals in the general population unknowingly suffering from some form of skeletal fluorosis as a result of a doctor's failure to consider fluoride as a cause of their symptoms. Proof that this is the case can be found in the following case reports of skeletal fluorosis written by doctors in the U.S. and other western countries. As can be seen, a consistent feature of these reports is that fluorosis patients--even those with crippling skeletal fluorosis--are misdiagnosed for years by multiple teams of doctors who routinely fail to consider fluoride as a possible cause of their disease.
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