Fluoride content of bottled waters available in Northern Greece

The aim of this study was to evaluate the fluoride content of bottled drinking waters commercially available in northern Greece and to report on the accuracy of the labelling of fluoride concentration.

Twenty-two randomly selected commercial brands of bottled water were obtained from three supermarkets in Thessaloniki, Greece. Three bottles of each brand were purchased. Following calibration, six tests were conducted on each bottle using a combination fluoride-ion selective electrode (Orion, 96-09-00, MA, USA). The average reading for each brand was estimated and also compared with the fluoride content printed on the label.

The mean (+/- SD) fluoride content of the bottled water samples was 0.35 (+/- 1.00) mg F/L with a range from 0.05 to 4.8 mg F/L. Only 18% (N = 4) of brands tested mention the fluoride concentration on the label, and 90% (N = 22) had a tested fluoride between 0.05 and 0.21 mg F/L. Of the remaining two brands, one was found to contain 0.3 mg F/L without having the fluoride concentration indicated on the label, and the other was labelled at 6 mg F/L, whereas the concentration was estimated as 4.8 mg F/L.

The use of bottled water may be a significant source of systemic fluoride and therefore be considered as a risk factor for dental fluorosis in young children. This article shows that bottled drinking waters contain differing concentrations of fluoride. The manufacturers' labelling of fluoride concentrations may be inaccurate. When prescribing fluoride supplements, dentists should be aware of the fluoride content of bottled waters used by paediatric patients, especially brands with a concentration higher than 0.3 mg F/L. In view of the wide variation of fluoride concentration in the tested bottled waters, regulatory guidelines for controlling concentration in order to prevent dental fluorosis are recommended.