ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is that of expounding upon the natural fluoride ion concentrations in the public water supplies of all of the municipalities in the Region of Murcia in 1991, in addition to the trend in said concentrations throughout the 1992-1996 period, this being a time during which fluoride was added to the water supply as a public health measure. METHODS: The methods employed for the findings were those of potentiometer-based gauging by means of standard addition and direct findings using a potentiometer equipped with an ion-selective electrode. RESULTS: The findings indicate that major fluctuations have taken place in the amounts of fluoride in these waters throughout the initial years during which fluoride was added to the water supply, without it being possible to establish broad-scope geographical patterns, to later tend toward stabilization during the final years of the time period in question, in which solely the municipalities supplied by the Letur treatment plant (which supplies the central and northwestern areas of the Region) showed levels nearing 0.8 mg/l, been maintained, which are those stipulated under the regulations resolving in favor of the addition of fluoride. CONCLUSIONS: We can conclude that only a portion of the municipalities of the Murcia Region has reached the optimum value for the concentration of fluoride in drinking water proposed by the Autonomous Community (0.8 mg/liter), or values close to it (0.6-0.7 mg/liter) during the period studied.
