Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether geographic area or water fluoride were related to the occurrence of fractures among the elderly in the United States. We used a 5% sample of the white U.S. Medicare population, aged 65 to 89 years during the period 1986-1990, to identify fractures of the hip, proximal humerus, distal forearm, and ankle. The association of geographic region and fluoridation status with fracture rates was assessed using Poisson regression. We found that rates of hip fracture were generally lower in the northern regions of the United States and higher in the southern regions. For fractures of the distal forearm and proximal humerus, lower rates were found in the Western states, and higher rates in the East. No discernible geographic pattern was found for ankle fractures. Adjustment for water fluoridation did not influence these results. Independent of geographic effects, men in fluoridated areas had modestly higher rates of fractures of the distal forearm and proximal humerus than did men in nonfluoridated areas; no such differences were observed among women, nor for fractures of the hip or ankle among either men or women. In conclusion, our data suggest that fractures of the distal forearm and proximal humerus have etiologic determinants distinct from those of fractures of the hip or ankle.

• Related Studies :

  • Summary of workshop on drinking water fluoride influence on hip fracture on bone health. (National Institutes of Health, 10 April, 1991)

    An ecologic study [22] compared fracture rates in 216 counties with natural fluoride levels greater than 0.7 ppm with rates in 95 counties with naturally low fluoride (less than 0.4 PPM) in the drinking water (Dose Ecology Study). Hip fracture ratios used as a denominator the hip fracture rates

  • Trabecular stress fractures during fluoride therapy for osteoporosis

    Joint pain and swelling in patients on fluoride therapy are generally attributed to rheumatic phenomena; however, their occurrence exclusively in the lower limbs suggests a mechanical cause. Eight patients receiving daily doses of sodium fluoride 1.09 mg/kg, elemental calcium 1 gm, and vitamin D 1000-2800 units for osteoporosis spontaneously developed

  • A prospective study of bone mineral content and fracture in communities with differential fluoride exposure

    In 1983/1984, a study of bone mass and fractures was begun in 827 women aged 20-80 years in three rural Iowa communities selected for the fluoride and calcium content of their community water supplies. The control community's water had a calcium content of 67 mg/liter and a fluoride content of

  • Exposure to natural fluoride in well water and hip fracture: a cohort analysis in Finland

    In the retrospective cohort study based on record linkage, the authors studied a cohort of persons born in 1900-1930 (n = 144,627), who had lived in the same rural location at least from 1967 to 1980. Estimates for fluoride concentrations (median, 0.1 mg/liter; maximum, 2.4 mg/liter) in well water in

  • Effect of long-term exposure to fluoride in drinking water on risks of bone fractures

    Findings on the risk of bone fractures associated with long-term fluoride exposure from drinking water have been contradictory. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of bone fracture, including hip fracture, in six Chinese populations with water fluoride concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 7.97 parts per million

• Related FAN Content :

  • Fluoride Reduces Bone Strength Prior to Onset of Skeletal Fluorosis

    The majority of animal studies investigating fluoride's impact on bone strength have found that fluoride has either no effect, or a detrimental effect, on bone strength. Importantly, several of the animal studies that have found fluoride reductes bone strength have reported that this reduction in strength occurs before signs of skeletal fluorosis

  • 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.

  • In Vitro Studies on Fluoride & Bone Strength

    The "in vitro" research on fluoride and bone strength confirms what has repeatedly been found in animal and human studies: the more fluoride a bone has, the weaker the bone becomes. In an in vitro bone study, the researcher directly exposes a human or animal bone to a fluoride solution

  • Fluoride Reduces Bone Strength in Animals

    Most animal studies investigating how fluoride effects bone strength have found either a detrimental effect, or no effect. Few animal studies have found a beneficial effect. In fact, one of the few studies that found a beneficial effect was unable to be repeated by the same authors in a later

  • Mechanisms by which fluoride may reduce bone strength

    Based on a large body of animal and human research, it is now known that fluoride ingestion can reduce bone strength and increase the rate of fracture. There are several plausible mechanisms by which fluoride can reduce bone strength. As discussed below, these mechanisms include: Reduction in Cortical Bone Density De-bonding of