Abstract
High fluoride levels in drinking water sources are a problem throughout the East African Rift Valley and can lead to dental fluorosis (DF) and skeletal fluorosis (SF) in exposed local populations. Two villages in the Hai District of northern Tanzania in which fluoride has been identified as a problem were investigated in a pilot study. Fluoride levels in drinking water sources were measured and the prevalence of DF and deformities due to SF were assessed in children attending school in the two villages. The assessment also recorded the source of drinking water as well as children’s height, weight and 3-day food diaries. Over one-quarter of the children in both villages had skeletal deformities, despite one village having much higher levels of fluoride in its drinking water sources. More than 90% of children in both villages had DF. SF and DF are major problems in this area. Deformities relating to SF are common, but the reasons for individual susceptibility remain unclear and may include a low calcium diet, ingestion of magadi (local salt) with high fluoride, or genetic factors.
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Dietary fluoride intake and associated skeletal and dental fluorosis in school age children in rural Ethiopian Rift Valley
An observational study was conducted to determine dietary fluoride intake, diet, and prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis of school age children in three fluorosis endemic districts of the Ethiopian Rift Valley having similar concentrations of fluoride (F) in drinking water (~5 mg F/L). The duplicate plate method was used
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Vitamin D deficiency, rickets, and fluorosis in India
Data on the vitamin D status of the populations in a tropical country like India have seldom been documented. Vitamin D deficiency is presumed to be rare. Population studied by the author and others in the country has proved otherwise. Studies were carried out to document the dietary habits, serum
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Epidemiological, clinical, and biochemical study of endemic dental and skeletal fluorosis in Punjab
The incidence of dental fluorosis in 46,000 children in the Punjab was assessed and compared with the fluoride content of their water supplies. Ten villages were selected for more detailed studies of skeletal as well as dental fluorosis. Factors other than the fluoride content of the drinking water which were found to influence
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Nutritional bone disease in Indian population
Syndromes of bone disease and deformities consequent to disorders of nutrition, bone and mineral metabolism constitute a serious national health problem. The studies on this subject are scanty. Data on nutritional bone disease are described and discussed. We had surveyed 337.68 million population residing in 0.39 million villages in 22
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Efficacy of Calcium-Containing Eggshell Powder Supplementation on Urinary Fluoride and Fluorosis Symptoms in Women in the Ethiopian Rift Valley.
Dietary calcium binds Fluoride (F), thus preventing excess F absorption. We aimed to assess the efficacy of supplementing calcium-containing Eggshell Powder (ESP) on F absorption using urine F excretion and on fluorosis symptoms. In total, 82 women (41 Intervention Group, IG; 41 Control Group, CG) were recruited; overall, 39 in
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Factors which increase the risk for skeletal fluorosis
The risk for developing skeletal fluorosis, and the course the disease will take, is not solely dependent on the dose of fluoride ingested. Indeed, people exposed to similar doses of fluoride may experience markedly different effects. While the wide range in individual response to fluoride is not yet fully understood, the following are some of the factors that are believed to play a role.
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Skeletal Fluorosis & Individual Variability
One of the common fallacies in the research on skeletal fluorosis is the notion that there is a uniform level of fluoride that is safe for everyone in the population. These "safety thresholds" have been expressed in terms of (a) bone fluoride content, (b) daily dose, (c) water fluoride level, (d) urinary fluoride level, and (e) blood fluoride level. The central fallacy with each of these alleged safety thresholds, however, is that they ignore the wide range of individual susceptibility in how people respond to toxic substances, including fluoride.
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Mayo Clinic: Fluoridation & Bone Disease in Renal Patients
The available evidence suggests that some patients wtih long-term renal failure are being affected by drinking water with as little as 2 ppm fluoride. The finding of adverse effects in patients drinking water with 2 ppm of fluoride suggests that a few similar cases may be found in patients imbibing 1 ppm, especially if large volumes are consumed, or in heavy tea drinkers. The finding of adverse effects in patients drinking water with 2 ppm of fluoride suggests that a few similar cases may be found in patients imbibing 1 ppm, especially if large volumes are consumed, or in heavy tea drinkers and if fluoride is indeed the cause. It would seem prudent, therefore, to monitor the fluoride intake of patients with renal failure living in high fluoride areas.
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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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Kidney Patients Are at Increased Risk of Fluoride Poisoning
It is well established that individuals with kidney disease are susceptible to suffering bone damage and other ill effects from low levels of fluoride exposure. Kidney patients are at elevated risk because when kidneys are damaged they are unable to efficiently excrete fluoride from the body. As a result, kidney patients
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