Fluoride intake by Brazilian children from two communities with fluoridated water.
OBJECTIVE
To determine total daily fluoride intake by young children from two communities in a developing country.


METHODS
Fluoride intake from diet and dentifrice was determined for 71 Brazilian children, aged 19-38 months, living in two communities with fluoridated water (0.6-0.8 ppm). The children from Piracicaba attended a full-time day care centre but those from Ibiá did not. Fluoride ingested during tooth brushing was determined, and 'duplicate-plate' samples of all foods and beverages ingested during a 2-day period were collected from which fluoride for analysis was extracted by hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) microdiffusion. The amount of fluoride ingested (mg F/kg body weight/day) from the diet and dentifrice and the combined fluoride intake were calculated. A limit of 0.05-0.07 mg F/kg body weight/day was considered as the safe threshold for fluoride exposure.


RESULTS
The children from Ibiá had lower amounts of fluoride in their diets than those from Piracicaba (P < 0.05); no differences in the amount of fluoride ingested from dentifrice were found between the communities. In both communities, the daily fluoride intake from dentifrice was higher than that from the diet (P < 0.05). Most of the children from both communities were exposed to a combined dose (diet + dentifrice) of fluoride above the risk threshold for dental fluorosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that fluoride intake from diet depends on living conditions, and measures should be implemented to reduce the fluoride intake of these Brazilian children.
Paiva
Saul M
SM
Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Lima
Ynara B O
YB
Cury
Jaime A
JA
D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil; D002327:Cariostatic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003802:Dentifrices / Q000032:analysis; D003906:Developing Countries; D004032:Diet; D005457:Fluoridation; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000517:prevention & control; D005504:Food Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D012923:Social Class; D014099:Toothbrushing; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
D002327:Cariostatic Agents; D003802:Dentifrices; D005459:Fluorides