Drinking water quality and fl uoride concentration

This paper aimed to analyze the fl uoride concentration in drinking water, taking into account the balance between the benefi ts and risks to health, in order to produce scientifi c backing for the updating of the Brazilian legislation. Systematic reviews studies, offi cial documents and meteorological data were examined. The temperatures in Brazilian state capitals indicate that fl uoride levels should be between 0.6 and 0.9 mg F/l in order to prevent dental caries. Natural fl uoride concentration of 1.5 mg F/l is tolerated for consumption in Brazil if there is no technology with an acceptable cost-benefi t ratio for adjusting/removing the excess. Daily intake of water with a fl uoride concentration > 0.9 mg F/l presents a risk to the dentition among children under the age of eight years, and consumers should be explicitly informed of this risk. In view of the expansion of the Brazilian water fl uoridation program to regions with a typically tropical climate, Ordinance 635/75 relating to fl uoride added to the public water supply should be revised.

[1]  P. Tugwell,et al.  Fluoride for treating postmenopausal osteoporosis. , 2000, The Cochrane database of systematic reviews.

[2]  P. Vestergaard,et al.  Effects of treatment with fluoride on bone mineral density and fracture risk - a meta-analysis , 2008, Osteoporosis International.

[3]  L. Tenuta,et al.  How to Maintain a Cariostatic Fluoride Concentration in the Oral Environment , 2008, Advances in dental research.

[4]  O P Lind,et al.  Changes in dental health in Hong Kong after 25 years of water fluoridation. , 1987, Community dental health.

[5]  P. Hallal,et al.  Social and dental status along the life course and oral health impacts in adolescents: a population-based birth cohort , 2009, Health and quality of life outcomes.

[6]  M. Sinclair,et al.  Water fluoridation, osteoporosis, fractures--recent developments. , 2001, Australian dental journal.

[7]  J. Murray.  Fluorides and dental caries , 1973 .

[8]  J. Cury,et al.  Determination of appropriate exposure to fluoride in non-EME countries in the future. , 2003, Journal of applied oral science : revista FOB.

[9]  D. Galagan,et al.  Determining optimum fluoride concentrations. , 1957, Public health reports.

[10]  S. Levy,et al.  A literature review of aesthetic perceptions of dental fluorosis and relationships with psychosocial aspects/oral health-related quality of life. , 2010, Community dentistry and oral epidemiology.

[11]  J. Cury,et al.  [Evaluation of fluoride content of bottled drinking waters in Brazil]. , 1996, Revista de saude publica.

[12]  M. Freeman,et al.  Beyond the Millennium Development Goals: Public health challenges in water and sanitation , 2006, Global public health.

[13]  S. Griffin,et al.  Reviews of evidence on interventions to prevent dental caries, oral and pharyngeal cancers, and sports-related craniofacial injuries. , 2002, American journal of preventive medicine.

[14]  P. Frazão,et al.  Cárie dentária no Brasil: declínio, polarização, iniqüidade e exclusão social , 2006 .

[15]  B. Burt,et al.  Dentistry, dental practice, & the community , 1992 .