On the relationship between caries incidence and retention on fluorine in tooth hard tissues during pregnancy and lactation [experimental investigation]

The effect of ingested fluoridated drinking water during the pregnancy arid lactation periods of the caries activity of the teeth of the offsprings and itsretention in the bones and the tooth hard substances is studied. The results indicated that the administration of 50 ppm fluorine in the drinking water during the pregnancy or during both pregnancy and lactation periods have no appreciable effeot in reducing the caries incidence and fluorine retention in the tooth hard substances. These results threw light on the effect of fluoridated drinking water on the caries experience of the deciduous teeth of human being. A great deal of attention has been focused on the possible cariostatic efficacy of prenatal administration of fluorine, sirce part of the enamel of deciduous teeth calcifies prenatally. Katz and Stocky 1 have found that less than 1 M of the fluorine that was administered to the pregnant rats in drinking water, containing 25 ppm F during gestation was transferred to the progeny. Lehman and Mahier 2 reported that placental fluorine transfer in the rats takes place only at high fluorine level, the findings of Maplesden et al,3 have thrown light on the possible difference in ion transference between different types of placental tissues. Gedalia et at 4, 5, have recorded steady increase of fluorine uptake in the developing fetus teeth with advancing age from areas with high fluorine concentration ;0.5-1.0 ppm F] as compared with those from lowered concentrations [0.1 ppm F] in the drinkin-water. As regard to the mammary gland transfer, Buttner and Muhier 6 have observed a mammary gland transfer of fluorine especially after a high fluorine conasumption. Simpson and Tuba 7, have concluded from their study that there is some type of physiological control mechanism that opeiates during lactation and adjust the fluorine concentration in the milk to a nearly optimum leval for infant. The aim of the present investigation is to study experimentally on rats, the effects of ingested fluoridated drinking water during the geststion period and during both gestation and lactation periods on the caries activity of the rat's offsprings, and whether there is a correlation between the fluorine content of the teeth of the mentioned rats and their caries experience