title: Fluoride intake from food items in 2- to 6-year-old Brazilian children living in a non-fluoridated area using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Estimating fluoride intake (FI) using the 'duplicate plate' method is difficult and can raise ethical dilemmas.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To apply a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to 2- to 6-year-old Brazilian children in a non-fluoridated area (i) to estimate their FI and (ii) to provide additional validity to the questionnaire by comparing the results obtained with those found previously in a fluoridated municipality.
  
  
  METHODS
  The FFQ was administered to parents of 398 children residing in a non-fluoridated community. Constituents of the diet were divided into solids, water and other beverages and their fluoride content was analysed with the electrode. Data were analysed using unpaired t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (±SD) FIs from solids, water and other beverages were 0.009 ± 0.004, 0.001 ± 0.001 and 0.007 ± 0.007 mg F/kg body weight/day, respectively, totalling 0.017 ± 0.009 mg F/kg body weight/day. Total FI from food/beverage items ingested in the non-fluoridated area was significantly lower than that observed in a study previously conducted in a fluoridated area (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This result reinforces the use of the FFQ as a promising alternative to duplicate diet in order to estimate FI in children in this age range, with potential application in broad epidemiological surveys.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flavia Mauad
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Kelly Polido Kaneshiro
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Olympio
authors.forename: Sonia Tucunduva
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Philippi
authors.forename: Marília Afonso Rabelo
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Buzalaf
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005504:Food Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D005459:Fluorides