Abstract

Physiologic and hygienic aspects of the absorption of inorganic fluorides are reviewed. Three basic shortcomings in fluoride research are noted: its intake into the system, assimilation, and excretion are subject to great variation between persons; in contrast to extensive biochemical advances in fluoride research, relatively little clinical data is available on how fluoride affects the human organism; and although it is one of the most reactive of all elements, it has been studied in teeth and bone, but not in other organs and tissues. Inconsistencies in data on metabolism can be attributed to wide variation in concentrations ingested with food or inhaled in air, and to individual differences in absorption and excretion. Although several authors report that in endemic areas fluorosis is not uncommon among the inhabitants, clinical details on fluorosis from drinking water as well as from industrial hazards are rare. Data concerning fluoride storage in soft tissues (including liver, kidney, brain, lung, spleen, thyroid, stomach, pancreas, muscle, skin, bladder, heart, aorta, prostate, adrenal, gall bladder, and bone marrow) are reviewed.