Abstract

BACKGROUND:  High-concentration topical fluorides are used commonly to with compromised salivary function due to irradiation and chemotherapy.

CASE DESCRIPTION:  The authors describe a 50-year-old man with previously treated cancer who was using tray-applied topical fluoride gel. He complained of gastric symptoms, difficulty in swallowing, leg muscle soreness and knee joint soreness. A computed tomographic scan revealed thickening of the esophageal walls. An upper endoscopy revealed abnormal motility. The motility test indicated high-amplitude peristalsis and hypertensive lower esophageal sphincter, and urine testing indicated high levels of systemic fluoride. The patient’s fluoride regimen was altered, and within a short period his urinary fluoride levels returned to normal and his symptoms resolved.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS:  Clinicians prescribing home-applied high-concentration fluorides need to be cognizant of the symptoms of fluoride toxicity, carefully monitor the patient’s compliance with the treatment regimen, and adjust the dosage or mode of application to control the total ingested dose of fluoride.

• Related Studies :

  • Revisiting Fluoride in the Twenty-First Century: Safety and Efficacy Considerations.

    Over 100 years of scientific literature is available which describes the long relationship between dentistry and the many possible applications of fluoride anion (F-) as successful therapeutic strategies. To date, systemic introduction of fluoride via water, milk and salt fluoridation, and fluoride-containing tablets, has been employed. Post-eruption topical fluoride products

  • Recovery from skeletal fluorosis (an enigmatic, American case)

    A 52-year-old man presented with severe neck immobility and radiographic osteosclerosis. Elevated fluoride levels in serum, urine, and iliac crest bone revealed skeletal fluorosis. Nearly a decade of detailed follow-up documented considerable correction of the disorder after removal of the putative source of fluoride (toothpaste). INTRODUCTION: Skeletal fluorosis, a crippling bone

  • Topical fluorides: effects on physiologic and biochemical processes

    The ingestion of fluoride from dentifrices or mouthrinses can contribute substantially to the total daily intake of the ion, even in communities that provide optimally fluoridated drinking water. It is concluded that the frequent and unsupervised use of these products by children six years of age or younger, especially those living in

  • Early diagnosis and complete recovery from fluorosis through practice of interventions

    OBJECTIVES: The objective of this communication is to disseminate scientific and technical information for early diagnosis of Fluorosis; recent developments in care and management of patients of Fluorosis. Material and Methods: Body fluids collected from patients suspected of Fluorosis referred by hospitals, samples of drinking water used by them are the

  • Topical fluoride for caries prevention.

    Background A panel of experts convened by the American Dental Association (ADA) Council on Scientific Affairs presents evidence-based clinical recommendations regarding professionally applied and prescription-strength, home-use topical fluoride agents for caries prevention. These recommendations are an update of the 2006 ADA recommendations regarding professionally applied topical fluoride and were developed by

• Related FAN Content :

  • Side Effects from Fluoride Gels: Gastric Distress

    Gastric distress -- including nausea, pain, and vomiting -- is one the most common side effects from professional application of "fluoride gels" at the dentist. Patients receiving fluoride gels can swallow more than 20 mg of fluoride from a single treatment -- doses that far exceed the doses that can

  • Fluoride-Induced Damage to Gastric Mucosa in Human Clinical Trials

    When fluoride has been used (at doses of 18-34 mg/day) as an experimental treatment for osteoporosis, gastric pain is one of the two main side effects consistently encountered. To better understand how fluoride causes this effect, researchers have sought to determine how fluoride affects the tissue that lines the gastrointestinal tract. In a

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Fluoride-Induced Gastric Symptoms in Human Clinical Trials

    In studies where fluoride has been used (at doses of 18-34 mg/day) as an experimental drug for the treatment of osteoporosis, gastrointestinal disturbances are one of the two main side effects consistently encountered. The following are some of the accounts from the published literature: "The use of fluoride in the prophylaxis or