It is a common overview. For extra in-depth info, see our health professional fact sheet.
What’s fluoride and what does it do?
Fluoride is a mineral that helps prevent tooth decay and helps hold your bones robust.
How a lot fluoride do I would like?
The quantity of fluoride you want every day is dependent upon your age and intercourse. Listed below are the common each day really useful quantities in milligrams (mg).
| Life Stage | Beneficial Quantity |
|---|---|
| Start to six months | 0.01 mg |
| Infants 7–12 months | 0.5 mg |
| Youngsters 1–3 years | 0.7 mg |
| Youngsters 4–8 years | 1 mg |
| Youngsters 9–13 years | 2 mg |
| Teenagers 14–18 years | 3 mg |
| Grownup males 19+ years | 4 mg |
| Grownup ladies 19+ years | 3 mg |
| Pregnant teenagers and ladies | 3 mg |
| Breastfeeding teenagers and ladies | 3 mg |
What are the sources of fluoride?
Meals and water don’t naturally comprise a lot fluoride. Fluoride is usually added to public faucet water—known as fluoridated water—and a few bottled waters. You should utilize this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resource
to see in case your faucet water is fluoridated.
A lot of the fluoride individuals get every day comes from ingesting fluoridated water and from consuming meals and drinks made with fluoridated water, like tea and low.
Most toothpaste and a few mouthwashes additionally comprise fluoride. Though you shouldn’t swallow these, they nonetheless add barely to the quantity of fluoride you get every day.
What sorts of fluoride dietary dietary supplements can be found?
A couple of dietary supplements, together with some multivitamin/mineral merchandise, comprise fluoride. Liquid fluoride drops for youngsters are additionally obtainable. Fluoride in dietary dietary supplements is normally within the type of sodium fluoride.
Am I getting sufficient fluoride?
Most individuals in america get sufficient fluoride from what they eat and drink in addition to from any dental merchandise they use.
What are some results of fluoride on well being?
Scientists are finding out fluoride to grasp the way it impacts well being. Listed below are a number of examples of what they’ve discovered.
Tooth decay
Fluoride helps defend your enamel by strengthening the outer enamel floor. If you happen to get too little fluoride, your enamel would possibly weaken and develop cavities. Cavities can result in ache, tooth loss, infections, and different well being issues.
Surveys present that youngsters and youngsters who drink fluoridated water have fewer cavities. Additionally, adults who drink fluoridated water have fewer decayed and stuffed enamel and lose fewer enamel.
Youngsters who take dietary dietary supplements that comprise fluoride have a decrease risk of tooth decay and tooth loss. Many dentists suggest fluoride dietary supplements for youngsters dwelling in areas the place the water provide just isn’t fluoridated or incorporates too little pure fluoride. We don’t know the way fluoride dietary supplements have an effect on adults.
Research recommend that giving a pregnant lady fluoride dietary dietary supplements doesn’t assist forestall cavities in her baby’s enamel.
Bone fractures
Fluoride helps bones develop and keep robust. Some research present that taking fluoride dietary dietary supplements or ingesting fluoridated water would possibly decrease the chance of damaged bones. Different research present no impact on bone energy or fracture threat.
Extra analysis is required to higher perceive if fluoride dietary dietary supplements and fluoridated water assist enhance bone well being and stop fractures.
Can fluoride be dangerous?
Infants and youngsters who get an excessive amount of fluoride whereas their enamel are forming can develop a situation known as dental fluorosis. This could trigger white strains or dots, stains, or small dents on the enamel. Extreme dental fluorosis is uncommon, nevertheless, and isn’t attributable to customary quantities of fluoride in public faucet water.
Swallowing extraordinarily massive quantities of fluoride from dental merchandise or dietary dietary supplements may cause nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, diarrhea, bone ache, and even dying in uncommon circumstances.
Getting an excessive amount of fluoride over an extended time frame can result in a situation known as skeletal fluorosis. This very uncommon situation causes joint ache and stiffness, weak bones, muscle loss, and nerve issues. It isn’t attributable to customary quantities of fluoride in public faucet water.
The each day upper limits for fluoride are listed under.
| Life Stage | Higher Restrict |
|---|---|
| Start to six months | 0.7 mg |
| Infants 7–12 months | 0.9 mg |
| Youngsters 1–3 years | 1.3 mg |
| Youngsters 4–8 years | 2.2 mg |
| Youngsters 9–13 years | 10 mg |
| Teenagers 14–18 years | 10 mg |
| Adults 19 years and older | 10 mg |
| Pregnant and breastfeeding teenagers and ladies | 10 mg |
Does fluoride work together with drugs or different dietary dietary supplements?
Fluoride just isn’t identified to interact or intrude with any medicines or dietary dietary supplements.
Inform your physician, pharmacist, and different well being care suppliers about any dietary dietary supplements and prescription or over-the-counter medicines you are taking. They’ll inform you if these dietary dietary supplements would possibly work together along with your medicines. They’ll additionally clarify whether or not the medicines you are taking would possibly intrude with how your physique absorbs or makes use of fluoride or different nutrients.
Healthful consuming
Individuals ought to get most of their vitamins from meals and drinks, in response to the federal authorities’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Meals comprise vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and different parts that profit well being. In some circumstances, fortified meals and dietary dietary supplements are helpful when it’s not potential to fulfill wants for a number of vitamins (for instance, throughout particular life levels equivalent to being pregnant). For extra details about constructing a wholesome dietary sample, see the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) MyPlate.
The place can I discover out extra about fluoride?
- For extra info on fluoride
- For extra info on meals sources of fluoride
- For extra recommendation on selecting dietary dietary supplements
- For details about constructing a wholesome dietary sample
Disclaimer
This reality sheet by the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) Workplace of Dietary Dietary supplements (ODS) offers info that ought to not take the place of medical recommendation. We encourage you to speak to your well being care suppliers (physician, registered dietitian, pharmacist, and so on.) about your curiosity in, questions on, or use of dietary dietary supplements and what could also be finest on your general well being. Any point out on this publication of a selected services or products, or suggestion from a corporation or skilled society, doesn’t signify an endorsement by ODS of that product, service, or skilled recommendation.