FLUORIDE -
Andre Saine ND, FCAH
Introduction Even though fluoride is the 13th most abundant element contained in the earth's crust, and its distribution greatly varies geologically in the world, sodium fluoride (NaF) or villiaumite is a rather rare mineral to be found in nature. However, it is commonly produced as a byproduct of phosphate fertilizer and is a white crystalline powder with a salty alkaline taste, odorless, very soluble in water, easily dissociated, readily absorbed, and appears grossly like sodium bicarbonate, powdered milk, cornstarch, white sugar or flour. As it is the most commonly use cockroach insecticides, it is often kept in kitchens and has therefore been easily mistaken for similar-looking cooking products. Approximately 95% of the fluoride ion (F-) in the human body is found in the bones and teeth in the form of fluorohydroxyapatite.i In the teeth, it results a more dense crystal lattice of the outer enamel, which protect the tooth against demineralization, and at the same time increase the remineralization of the teeth. The carious lesion occurs when the demineralization process outweighs the remineralization process, and net damage occurs. The fluorohydroxyapatite increase the resistance to acid and its demineralization process. The process of remineralization may result in the repair of existing lesions with less soluble mineral and render this portion of the tooth less susceptible to future episodes of demineralization. In the bones, fluoride stimulates bone formation by osteoblastic stimulation, increases bone formation earlier and to a larger extent in trabecular bone compared to cortical bone, and increases spinal bone density, and opposite to increasing bone quality, it decreases mechanical strength and increases the risk of bone fractures. A point of interest about adding fluor to municipal water is the the long term effect of bone strenght. By studying the amount of fluoride (F−) in drinking well water in twentyfive different Ethiopian communities, an association was found between the greater the amount of fluoride in drinking water and the greater was the bone deterioration, which was most obvious in the older people.ii High fluoride intake also delays the healing of the bone fracture.iii Further, fluoride can cross the brain barrier and accumulates in the pineal gland more than in any other part of the body, where it forms calcification. Fluoride has also been