What are the different types of fluoride treatments?
These in-office treatments may take the form of a solution, gel, foam, or varnish. There are also some high-concentration fluoride treatments that people can use at home but only under the specific direction of a dentist.
How often should you get fluoride treatments?
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends a professional fluoride treatment at your dentist’s office every 3, 6, or 12 months, depending on your oral health. If you’re at high risk for cavities, your dentist may also prescribe a special fluoride rinse or gel to use regularly at home.
What is the Recommended Dietary Allowance for fluoride?
The recommended intake for fluoride is expressed as an adequate intake rather than recommended dietary allowance, because of the limited data available to determine the population needs. The adequate intake for fluoride is 0.7 mg daily for toddlers, rising to 3 mg daily for adult women and 4 mg daily for adult men.
What are the benefits of fluoride treatment?
By preventing cavities and slowing the growth of bacteria, fluoride treatment may also: 1 prevent gum disease 2 reduce tooth pain 3 prevent the premature loss of teeth
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How much fluoride is in a fluoride treatment?
2.26% fluoride varnish or 1.23% fluoride (acidulated phosphate fluoride) gel, or a prescription-strength, home-use 0.5% fluoride gel or paste or 0.09% fluoride mouthrinse for patients 6 years or older.
What is the percentage of fluoride in fluoride varnish?
While most fluoride varnishes contain 5% sodium fluoride at least one brand of fluoride varnish contains 1% difluorsilane in a polyurethane base and one brand contains 2.5% sodium fluoride that has been milled to perform similar to 5% sodium fluoride products in a shellac base.
What percent fluoride should be in mouthwash?
0.2%One of the common ways of fluoride use is the use of a fluoride-containing mouthwash, the most important of which in use is 0.2% sodium fluoride mouthwash. School-based fluoride mouthwash programs have been used for delivering oral and dental health to children in recent years.
What percentage of stannous fluoride solution is used for polishing teeth?
Toothpaste. Most toothpastes contains between 0.22% (1,000 ppm) and 0.312% (1,450 ppm) fluoride, usually in the form of sodium fluoride, stannous fluoride, or sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP).
What does 5% sodium fluoride varnish do?
Fluoride varnish (5% sodium fluoride) is used to prevent tooth decay. It lowers cavity causing oral bacterial levels and repairs and strengthens teeth. Fluoride varnish is a topical application and not considered systemic.
How much fluoride is in Duraphat varnish?
1mL suspension contains 50mg sodium fluoride (5%w/v), equivalent to 22,600ppm fluoride ion, [22.6mg fluoride] in an alcoholic solution of natural resins.
How much fluoride is too much?
Fluoride levels of 2.5 mg/L or higher may increase the risk of skeletal fluorosis (a condition that causes bones to break easily and causes calcium to build up in ligaments and tendons).
What mouthwash has the most fluoride?
ACT Mouth Rinses and Mouthwash We recommend ACT mouthwash because this brand contains the most fluoride.
What is the recommended concentration of fluoride in drinking water?
0.7 milligramsNational survey data show that prevention of tooth decay can be maintained at the recommended level of 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of drinking water. This recommended level updates and replaces the previously recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter.
How much concentration of stannous fluoride is used in prevention of caries?
There is a benefit of prescription-strength, home-use (0.5 percent fluoride) gel or paste application twice daily for caries prevention. There is a benefit of prescription-strength, home-use (0.5 percent fluoride) gel or paste application twice daily in preventing root caries.
How much fluoride should be in toothpaste percentage?
Toothpastes containing 1,350 to 1,500ppm fluoride are the most effective. Your dentist may advise you to use higher-strength toothpaste if you or your child is at particular risk of tooth decay. Children under 3 years old should brush twice daily, with a smear of toothpaste containing at least 1,000ppm fluoride.
What percentage of fluoride should be in toothpaste?
High-fluoride toothpaste generally contains 1.1 percent (5,000 ppm) sodium fluoride and is typically used in adults with extensive tooth damage or medical conditions that place them at risk of cavities (including dentures, orthodontic devices, or dry mouth caused by disease, medications, or cancer therapy).
What is fluoride treatment?
Fluoride treatments are typically professional treatments containing a high concentration of fluoride that a dentist or hygienist will apply to a person’s teeth to improve health and reduce the risk of cavities. These in-office treatments may take the form of a solution, gel, foam, or varnish.
How much fluoride is in water?
This level currently stands at 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter (mg/l) of water.
How to prevent fluorosis in children?
Caregivers should brush children’s teeth with a small amount of fluoride toothpaste to reduce decay and minimize fluorosis risk. For children under 3 years of age, use no more than a smear or rice-sized amount of fluoridated toothpaste. For children aged 3–6, use a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste.
What are the benefits of fluoride?
Fluoride has several benefits for the teeth: 1 It helps the body better use minerals, such as calcium and phosphate. The teeth reabsorb these minerals to repair weak tooth enamel. 2 It joins into the tooth structure when teeth are developing to strengthen the enamel of the teeth, making them less vulnerable to bacteria and cavities for life. 3 It slows or even reverses the development of cavities by harming bacteria that cause cavities.
What happens if you take too much fluoride?
Tooth discoloration. The most common side effect of fluoride is tooth discoloration. Fluorosis is a condition that causes white streaks or other discoloration on the teeth. Fluorosis happens when a child ingests too much fluoride while their baby and adult teeth are developing under the gums.
Does fluoride help with tooth decay?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that fluoridated water has reduced tooth decay by about 25 percent.
Can you use fluoride varnish on a 6-year-old?
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommend the use of professional fluoride varnish on children under 6 years old. Fluoride varnish is the preferred option for young children, as they tend to swallow foams or gels, which may cause nausea and vomiting.
How much fluoride is retained in the body?
In adults, about 50% of absorbed fluoride is retained, and bones and teeth store about 99% of fluoride in the body [ 1, 3 ]. The other 50% is excreted in urine [ 1 ]. In young children, up to 80% of absorbed fluoride is retained because more is taken up by bones and teeth than in adults [ 1 ].
What are the two conditions in which fluoride might play a role?
Fluoride and Health. This section focuses on two conditions in which fluoride might play a role: dental caries and bone fractures. Dental cari es. Dental caries occurs when cariogenic bacteria in the mouth ferment foods and produce acids that dissolve tooth mineral [ 22 ].
How much fluoride is in toothpaste?
Most toothpaste sold in the United States contains fluoride in the form of sodium fluoride or monofluorophosphate, most commonly at a level of 1,000 to 1,100 mg/L (about 1.3 mg in a quarter teaspoon, a typical amount of toothpaste used for one brushing) [ 3 ].
How much fluoride is in milk?
Fluoride concentrations in cow’s milk are also very low, ranging from 0.007 to 0.086 mg/L [ 3 ]. Fluoride levels in infant formulas in the United States vary, depending on the type of formula and the fluoride content of the water used to prepare the formula [ 3 ].
What is the ionic form of fluoride?
Fluoride is the ionic form of the element fluorine, and it inhibits or reverses the initiation and progression of dental caries (tooth decay) and stimulates new bone formation [ 1 ]. Soil, water, plants, and foods contain trace amounts of fluoride.
Where does fluoride come from?
Most of the fluoride that people consume comes from fluoridated water, foods and beverages prepared with fluoridated water, and toothpaste and other dental products containing fluoride [ 2, 3 ]. Approximately 80% or more of orally ingested fluoride is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract [ 1 ]. In adults, about 50% of absorbed fluoride is ...
Does fluoride help with tooth decay?
The results showed that water fluoridation reduces the risk of decay and fillings, as well as of premature loss of primary (baby) teeth, by 35% and loss of permanent (adult) teeth by 26% in children receiving fluoridated water in comparison with children receiving unfluoridated water.
What is fluoride used for?
Fluoride is sold in tablets for cavity prevention. Fluoride therapy is the use of fluoride for medical purposes. Fluoride supplements are recommended to prevent tooth decay in children older than six months in areas where the drinking water is low in fluoride. It is typically used as a liquid, pill, or paste by mouth.
When did fluoride come into use?
Fluoride came into use to prevent tooth decay in the 1940s. Fluoride, as sodium fluoride, is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. In 2017, it was the 247th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than one million prescriptions.
What is the fluoride content of toothpaste?
Most toothpastes contains between 0.22% (1,000 ppm) and 0.312% (1,450 ppm) fluoride, usually in the form of sodium fluoride or sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP). Frequent use of toothpaste with 1,100 ppm fluoride content enhances the remineralization of enamel and inhibits the demineralization of enamel and root surfaces. Most toothpastes with fluoride contain mild abrasives in order to remove heavier debris and light surface staining. These abrasives include calcium carbonate, silica gels, magnesium carbonates and phosphate salts.
How does fluoride help prevent caries?
Fluoride therapy has been proven to have a beneficial effect on the prevention of dental caries. Robust evidence supports the use of fluoride toothpaste (with concentrations of 1000 ppm and above) and fluoride supplements, in the form of drops and tablets, to reduce the risk of dental caries in school-aged children and adolescents. The ingestion of fluoride as primary teeth are being developed has shown that the teeth have formed stronger and more resistant for caries. Water and milk fluoridation are two forms of systemic fluoride therapy that have been demonstrated to be effective at preventing dental caries.
What is the effect of fluoride on teeth?
Fluoride appears to decrease breakdown by acids, increase remineralisation, and decrease the activity of bacteria.
How much fluoride can you overdose on?
Consumption of large amounts of fluoride can lead to fluoride poisoning and death; the lethal dose for most adult humans is estimated at 5 to 10 g (which is equivalent to 32 to 64 mg elemental fluoride/kg body weight).
How old do you have to be to take fluoride toothpaste?
The use of fluoride toothpaste (with concentrations of 1000 ppm and above) and fluoride supplements in children below the age of six years, and especially within the first three years of life, is associated with a greater risk of dental fluorosis.
What is the minimum amount of fluoride in saliva?
In order to achieve a meaningful effect on caries control, the minimal acceptable level of fluoride is 200 mg/kg salt.
What is fluoride in dentistry?
INTRODUCTION. Fluoride is the ionic form of fluorine, the thirteenth most abundant element in the earth’s crust. It is released into the environment naturally in both water and air. Its concentration in water is variable (1).
How many people use fluoridated salt?
More than one and a half million children worldwide currently consume fluoridated milk (24). Presently, 300 million people worldwide use fluoridated salt (15). Benefits. Substantially reduces the prevalence and incidence of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth (14).
How much fluoride reduces caries?
The degree of caries reduction depends on the concentration of fluoride in salt. A domestic salt with 200 mg of fluoride/kg has a lower caries reduction than that with 250 mg of fluoride/kg. The best results are observed when domestic salt contains 350 mg of fluoride/kg.
How much fluoride is toxic to children?
In children, as little as 8.4 mg/kg may produce symptoms (30). Chronic fluoride toxicity is usually caused by high fluoride concentrations in drinking water or the use of fluoride supplements. Chronic ingestion of high doses leads to dental fluorosis, a cosmetic disorder where the teeth become mottled (1).
What is the source of fluoride?
Water is the major dietary source of fluoride. The variability in water content explains much of the variability in total fluoride intake. Other important sources of fluoride are tea, seafood that contains edible bones or shells, medicinal supplements, and fluoridated toothpastes (2).
When was fluoride added to table salt?
In 1980~82, adding fluoride to table salt was authorized for human consumption (12). Fluoridated salt reaches the consumer through several channels including domestic salt, meals at schools, large kitchens and in bread, and exerts both systemic and topical effects (14). Effectiveness in caries prevention.
How many people in the US have fluoride in their water?
Fluoride in the Water Today. In 2018, community water systems that contain enough fluoride to protect teeth served more than 200 million people or 73% of the US population. Because it is so beneficial, the United States has a national goal for 77% of Americans to have water with enough fluoride to prevent tooth decay by 2030.
What are the benefits of fluoride?
Fluoride benefits children and adults throughout their lives. For children younger than age 8, fluoride helps strengthen the adult (permanent) teeth that are developing under the gums. For adults, drinking water with fluoride supports tooth enamel, keeping teeth strong and healthy. The health benefits of fluoride include having: 1 Fewer cavities. 2 Less severe cavities. 3 Less need for fillings and removing teeth. 4 Less pain and suffering because of tooth decay.
How does fluoride help teeth?
Fluoride helps to rebuild and strengthen the tooth’s surface, or enamel. Water fluoridation prevents tooth decay by providing frequent and consistent contact with low levels of fluoride. By keeping the tooth strong and solid, fluoride stops cavities from forming and can even rebuild the tooth’s surface. Community water fluoridation is the process ...
Why was it important to study the relationship between tooth decay and fluoride in drinking water?
The study found that children who drank water with naturally high levels of fluoride had less tooth decay. 2 This discovery was important because during that time most children and adults in the United States were affected by tooth decay. Many suffered from toothaches and painful extractions—often losing permanent teeth, including molars, even as teenagers.
What is community water fluoridation?
Community water fluoridation is the process of adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water to a level recommended for preventing tooth decay. Although other fluoride-containing products, such as toothpaste, mouth rinses, and dietary supplements are available and contribute to the prevention and control of tooth decay, ...
What is the process of testing water for fluoride?
This process of testing the water supply for fluoride and adjusting it to the right amount to prevent cavities is called community water fluoridation. Since 1945, hundreds of cities have started community water fluoridation and in 2016, nearly 73% of the United States served by community water systems had access to fluoridated water.
Where does fluoride come from?
The mineral fluoride occurs naturally on earth and is released from rocks into the so il, water, and air. All water contains some fluoride. Usually, the fluoride level in water is not enough to prevent tooth decay; however, some groundwater and natural springs can have naturally high levels of fluoride.
Introduction
Recommended Intakes
- Intake recommendations for fluoride and other nutrients are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [1]. DRIs is the general term for a set of reference values used for planning and assessing nutrient intakes of healthy people. These values, which vary by …
Sources of Fluoride
- Food Brewed tea typically contains higher levels of fluoride than most foods, depending on the type of tea and its source, because tea plants take up fluoride from soil [1,3]. Fluoride levels can range from 0.3 to 6.5 mg/L (0.07 to 1.5 mg/cup) in brewed tea made with distilled water [3]. Fluoride concentrations in breast milk are so low that they cannot always be detected; when the…
Fluoride Intakes and Status
- Most people in the United States consume adequate amounts of fluoride through foods containing naturally occurring fluoride, fluoridated tap water, and food products made with fluoridated tap water. According to the EPA, typical daily fluoride intakes in the United States from foods and beverages (including fluoridated drinking water) are 1.2 to 1....
Fluoride and Health
- This section focuses on two conditions in which fluoride might play a role: dental caries and bone fractures. Dental caries Dental caries occurs when cariogenic bacteria in the mouth ferment foods and produce acids that dissolve tooth mineral [22]. Over time, this tooth decay can cause pain and tooth loss. Without treatment, dental caries can cause infections, impair growth, lead to weight …
Health Risks from Excessive Fluoride
- Long-term ingestion of excess fluoride in infancy and childhood, when the teeth are being formed, can lead to dental fluorosis [41]. The characteristics of this chronic condition usually vary from almost imperceptible white lines or flecks to white or brown stains on teeth [2]. Severe dental fluorosis can lead to pitting in tooth enamel. The risk of dental fluorosis increases with fluoride i…
Fluoride and Healthful Diets
- The federal government’s 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americansnotes that “Because foods provide an array of nutrients and other components that have benefits for health, nutritional needs should be met primarily through foods. … In some cases, fortified foods and dietary supplements are useful when it is not possible otherwise to meet needs for one or more nutrients (e.g., durin…
Overview
Fluoride therapy is the use of fluoride for medical purposes. Fluoride supplements are recommended to prevent tooth decay in children older than six months in areas where the drinking water is low in fluoride. It is typically used as a liquid, pill, or paste by mouth. Where public water supplies are fluoridated further fluoride by mouth is typically not needed. Fluoride has also been used t…
Medical uses
Fluoride therapy has been proven to have a beneficial effect on the prevention of dental caries. Robust evidence supports the use of fluoride toothpaste (with concentrations of 1000 ppm and above) to reduce the risk of dental caries in school-aged children and adolescents. The ingestion of fluoride as primary teeth are being developed has shown that the teeth have formed stronger and more resistant for caries, though increases the risk of dental fluorosis. Water and milk fluori…
Side effects
See main article Dental fluorosis.
The use of fluoride toothpaste (with concentrations of 1000 ppm and above) and fluoride supplements in children below the age of six years, and especially within the first three years of life, is associated with a greater risk of dental fluorosis. However, the use of fluoride supplements during the last six months of pregnancy has no significant impact on the incidence of fluorosis i…
Overdose
Consumption of large amounts of fluoride can lead to fluoride poisoning and death; the lethal dose for most adult humans is estimated at 5 to 10 g (which is equivalent to 32 to 64 mg elemental fluoride/kg body weight). Ingestion of fluoride can produce gastrointestinal discomfort at doses at least 15 to 20 times lower (0.2–0.3 mg/kg) than lethal doses. Chronic intake and topical exposure may cause dental fluorosis, and excess systematic exposure can lead to systemic effects such as skeletal …
Mechanism
Strictly speaking, fluoride therapy repairs rather than prevents damage to the teeth, causing the mineral fluorapatite to be incorporated into damaged tooth enamel. Fluorapatite is not a natural component of human teeth, although it is found in the teeth of sharks. The main mineral found in natural tooth enamel is hydroxyapatite rather than the fluorapatite created in the presence of fluoride. Even without fluoride, teeth experience alternating increases and decreases in mineral …
Delivery
Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply in order to reduce tooth decay. Its use in the U.S. began in the 1940s, following studies of children in a region where water is naturally fluoridated. In 1945, Grand Rapids, Michigan became the first city in the world to fluoridate its drinking water. The Grand Rapids water fluoridation study was originally sponsored by the U.S. Surgeon General, but was taken over by the NIDR shortly after the institute's inceptio…
Further reading
• Committee on Fluoride in Drinking Water, National Research Council. (2006). Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA's Standards. National Academies Press.
• Government guidelines
• Fluoride History—History of fluoride therapy including early patents
External links
• "Sodium fluoride". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine.