Urinary fluoride excretion in children drinking fluoridated school milk

C E Ketley1, M A Lennon

  • 1Department of Clinical Dental Sciences, University of Liverpool School of Dentistry, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK. ketley@liverpool.ac.uk

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Environmental Health
  • Dental Public Health

Background:

  • School milk fluoridation programs aim to improve dental health.
  • Understanding fluoride excretion is crucial for assessing intake and safety.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify fluoride excretion in children under varied intake conditions.
  • To estimate the fractional urinary fluoride excretion in a school milk fluoridation program.

Main Methods:

  • Collected 55-hour urine samples from eight 4-5-year-old children.
  • Calculated maximum urinary fluoride concentration, excretion rate, and total daily excretion.
  • Determined 24-hour fractional fluoride excretion after a controlled dose.

Main Results:

  • Children excreted 0.33 mg of fluoride daily under typical intake conditions.
  • Fractional urinary fluoride excretion from a 0.5-mg tablet was 30%.

Conclusions:

  • Children's 24-hour fluoride excretion falls between low and optimal fluoridation levels.
  • Fractional urinary fluoride excretion aligns with existing research findings.
Abstract

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