Human Nutrition 3(3+0)

Lesson 37 : Fluorine

Deficiency

A diet deficiet in fluorine may increase the incidence of dental caries and incorporation of fluorine at a level of 1-2ppm in the diet prevented the disease. Surveys carried out on the incidence of dental caries in human beings have yielded the following results:

1. Incidence of dental caries in children is high in areas where the drinking water contains less than 0.5ppm fluorine and the incidence is low in areas where the water contains 1-2ppm fluorine and

2. Addition of fluoride to drinking water at a level of 1 ppm resulted in significant reduction in the incidence of dental caries.