Fluoride studies in Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

Twenty-four-hour urine samples and whole deciduous teeth from fluoridated (0.71 ppm) and non-fluoridated (0.14 ppm) areas together with some selected local food items were analysed for their fluoride content. The mean values for urinary fluoride were 0.90 ppm or 0.77 mg per day for the fluoridated area and 0.50 ppm or 0.52 mg per day for the non-fluoridated area. Assuming that half of all the fluoride ingested is excreted in the urine, this study suggests that the average daily fluoride intakes by adults in the fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas were about 1.5 mg and 1 mg respectively. The mean fluoride content of non-carious deciduous teeth from the fluoridated area was 416.89 ppm compared to 178.45 ppm in the low fluoride area.