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Exploring the Impacts of Fluoride-Induced Thyroid Toxicity: A Comprehensive Review.
| Biological Trace Element Research | Bhavna Patial and Ruhi Thakur |
Literature review Thyroid Gland Review

Abstract

Original abstract online at
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12011-025-04840-6

Fluoride exposure via contaminated drinking water is a significant global public health concern. Fluoride being beneficial at minimal concentrations was used for dental caries prevention, but excessive exposure of fluoride has been associated with numerous health disorders including skeletal and dental fluorosis, weakening of bones making them more prone to fractures, impaired intelligence, stunted growth, reduced birth and fertility rates, and disruption of thyroid function. This review provides a concise overview of all the existing literature on the effects of fluoride on the thyroid gland till date. Various data collection methods including PubMed, Scopus, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar were used to collect relevant research papers using keywords “changes caused by fluoride in thyroid” or “fluoride induced toxicity on the thyroid gland” ranging from 1976 till date. Fluoride adversely affects thyroid function via interfering with iodine metabolism (replacing iodine in the gland and also inhibiting its uptake). It also disrupts T3 and T4 production causing decrease in their levels, increased TSH, oxidative stress, and downregulated antioxidant and thyroid-related genes. Histopathological alterations caused by fluoride includes thyroid follicular cell apoptosis, necrosis, and hyperplasia of thyroid gland. Thyroid gland, in particular, is highly susceptible to fluoride accumulation, making it one of the most affected organs. Numerous studies have evaluated the impact of fluoride on mammalian models, with a focus on endocrine system particularly the thyroid gland. Fluoride exposure can lead to hypothyroidism, particularly detrimental during fetal and early developmental stages affecting IQ, brain, and hearing development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoology Laboratory II, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Bhavna Patial & Ruhi Thakur

Contributions

BP has written the original draft, curated the data. RT has conceptualised, supervised and validated the entire work. BP and RT have contributed equally to Methodology, Formal analysis, Visualisation and Investigation.

BP has written the original draft, curated the data. RT has conceptualised, supervised, visualised and validated the entire work. BP and RT have contributed equally to Methodology, Formal analysis, and Investigation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruhi Thakur.

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Competing Interests

BP and RT declare that they have no known financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Cite this article

Patial, B., Thakur, R. Exploring the Impacts of Fluoride-Induced Thyroid Toxicity: A Comprehensive Review. Biol Trace Elem Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-025-04840-6