Fluorine and fluorosis

Functions in the body

Fluorine is an element present in limited quantities in the human body, where it is concentrated mainly in the bones and teeth.

Considered essential by some and only beneficial by others, it is important for the mineralization of the skeleton and enamel. Hence the idea of ​​using fluoride in the prevention of dental caries and bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis.

Requirements and Feeding Appliances

The optimal quantity for the organism has not yet found unanimous opinions and is quantifiable between 1.5 and 4 mg / day. The main source of fluorine is given by drinking water, in which the presence of the element varies according to the extraction soil (it must be, by law, less than 1.5 mg / liter).

Fluorine is found in different foods, reaching important concentrations in fish and seafood; even tea, potatoes (especially the peel), cereals, beer, spinach and other vegetables are good sources of fluoride.

In mineral waters the concentrations are very variable, tendentially close to zero in the much-publicized mineral and minimally mineralized, maximum in the fluorinated ones, where the content of the element is higher than 1 mg / l.

Integration and Fluorosis

The administration of fluoride in the form of drops or tablets has been proposed in the pediatric age to reduce the incidence of caries and promote bone mineralization. Beginning in the 1950s, some countries have undertaken fluoridation of drinking water, to ensure adequate mineral supply to the population.

However, given also the results of the experiment, the usefulness of a systematic administration of fluoride is still much discussed, due to the important side effects emerged from numerous studies.

If it is true that the deficiency increases the risk of tooth decay, especially in early childhood, it is also true that a fluoride overdose causes a particular pathological picture, known as fluorosis .

The first sign of an overeating of the mineral is the appearance of white spots on the enamel of the teeth which, as the fluorosis gradually worsens, develop into real grooves and cavities. If we consider the low daily intake requirement, it is easy to imagine how thin the boundary between deficiency and excess is, as well as between risks and benefits.

Further complicating the situation is the fact that the excess fluoride damage is cumulative. This means that the mineral tends to remain in the bones, reaching high concentrations following a chronic hyper-intake. While on one side the fluoride bone deposit increases the density of the skeleton, on the other hand it should not be forgotten that a healthy bone is a flexible bone. A rigid structure has in fact a lower breaking load (ie it is less resistant to pressure, ie it breaks more easily) than an elastic structure.

In addition to dental and skeletal alterations, among the side effects of a chronic fluoride overdose there are also cases of serious mental and systemic alterations (enzyme and mineral deficiencies, endocrine and immune disorders, increased risk of fractures).

Key points

The point of the situation:

• paraphrasing Paracelsus, "everything is poison, nothing is poison, only the dose counts";
• fluorine is a trace element that is very important for the health of bones and teeth; deficiency effects would appear for doses below 0.5-0.7 mg / day;
• the minimum daily requirement of fluoride is about 1 mg and, given the ubiquitous distribution of the mineral, it is easily covered by a properly varied diet;
• if there is no deficiency, the usefulness of systemic fluoride in caries prevention is null or in any case burdened by an unfavorable risk / benefit ratio;
• when the daily intake exceeds for a long time the 2 mg / day the first signs of overdose appear (streaks of the dental enamel);
• if the continuous intake for long periods of time is accompanied by very dangerous nervous, dental and skeletal alterations;
• since the toxic dosage is at values ​​just above the optimal ones and that it is not possible to control the daily intake of fluoride, being this dependent on many factors (consumption of fish, type of mineral water chosen, toothpaste used, drinking water, etc.), it is ABSOLUTELY NOT TO RECOMMEND THE SPONTANEOUS APPEAL TO FLUOROUS-BASED SUPPLEMENTS; caution in pregnancy.
• Also to be condemned is the practice of water fluoridation, due to the enormous quantity of factors capable of shifting the balance from excess to balance, from utility to toxicity.
• If you want to maintain healthy teeth and prevent tooth decay, the imperative is to respect the right combination of adequate oral hygiene and moderation in the use of sweets, replacing these foods with healthier ones (fruit, whole grains and vegetables in particular). In the adult individual at risk of medium-low caries, it is sufficient to use toothpastes with standard fluoride content (1, 000 ppm).
• The possibility of using specific supplements to improve one's bone and dental health must always be discussed with the doctor or dentist, who, for their part, should carry out a thorough investigation to evaluate the daily intake through the sources food.
• Finally, administering fluoride pills in childhood is in some ways a maladaptive intervention, since it teaches the child to subject his health to drugs.

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