International fluoride supplement recommendations

A telefax survey was conducted to determine the current and past recommended schedules for fluoride supplementation using tablets, salt or milk. Twenty-one of 90 countries listed in the 1997 FDI directory responded. Information on additional countries was gathered from a recent textbook on fluoride and a dental health survey report. The summary table provided is far from comprehensive but it represents the best data available at this time. The conclusions are limited to the information received but there is a clear trend to lower dosage recommendations and no fluoride supplementation to very young children. Several issues are identified which should be addressed whenever fluoride tablet supplementation schedules are being considered.