Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 15, 2026

Micro-dissection of Enamel Organ from Mandibular Incisor of Rats Exposed to Environmental Toxicants
08:12

Micro-dissection of Enamel Organ from Mandibular Incisor of Rats Exposed to Environmental Toxicants

Published on: March 29, 2018

Renal fluoride excretion in children following topical application of fluoride varnish

F García-Hoyos1, E Barbería, P García-Camba

  • 1Department of Odontology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, European University of Madrid, Spain.

European Journal of Paediatric Dentistry
|December 29, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Dental fluoride varnish application in children significantly increases urinary fluoride excretion. This finding confirms the effectiveness of topical fluoride treatments in enhancing fluoride levels in the body.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Public Health
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Dental caries remains a significant public health concern in children.
  • Topical fluoride application is a cornerstone of preventive dentistry.
  • Understanding fluoride bioavailability and excretion is crucial for assessing treatment efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the impact of dental fluoride varnish application on urinary fluoride excretion in children.
  • To establish a direct correlation between topical fluoride varnish use and increased fluoride levels in urine.
  • To validate the use of urinary fluoride as a biomarker for fluoride varnish efficacy.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized study involving 42 children (5-8 years) from a non-fluoridated water community.
  • Urinary samples collected pre- and 2-hours post-fluoride varnish application.
  • Comparison with an age-matched control group (n=16) receiving no treatment.
  • Analysis of urinary fluoride ion (F-) levels and fluoride/creatinine (F/Cr) ratios.

Main Results:

  • The study group showed a significant increase in the mean F/Cr ratio from 0.42 to 1.38 mg/g post-treatment (p < .001).
  • No significant changes in F/Cr ratios were observed in the control group (0.29 vs. 0.27, p = 0.426).
  • Urinary fluoride levels demonstrated a clear elevation directly attributable to the fluoride varnish application.

Conclusions:

  • Topical dental fluoride varnish application demonstrably increases urinary fluoride excretion in children.
  • The observed increase in urinary fluoride is a direct consequence of the applied fluoride varnish.
  • This study supports the efficacy of fluoride varnishes in delivering therapeutic levels of fluoride.
Abstract

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
Drug Excretion: Pulmonary and Glandular Routes01:22

Drug Excretion: Pulmonary and Glandular Routes

Gaseous substances like general anesthetics are absorbed and excreted through the lungs via simple diffusion. This process depends on factors such as pulmonary blood flow, respiration rate, and the substance's solubility. Gaseous anesthetics like nitrous oxide with low blood solubility are excreted rapidly, while compounds like alcohol, with high blood and tissue solubility, are excreted slowly.
Drugs can also be excreted in breast milk, which is crucial for breastfeeding infants. The process...
Drug Excretion: Miscellaneous Routes01:10

Drug Excretion: Miscellaneous Routes

Drug excretion involves various organs, including the liver, intestines, skin, and eyes. In the case of drugs or toxins, they can be actively secreted into bile by transporters in the hepatocyte's canalicular membrane. These substances enter the GI tract during digestion and may be reabsorbed into the body from the intestine. This process, known as enterohepatic recycling, can significantly prolong the presence and effects of a substance in the body. To interrupt this cycle, specific substances...
One-Compartment Open Model: Urinary Excretion Data and Determination of k01:11

One-Compartment Open Model: Urinary Excretion Data and Determination of k

The one-compartment open model leverages urinary excretion data to estimate renal clearance, which gauges the kidney's capacity to expel a drug. This method offers several benefits, including directly measuring drug elimination and assessing the kidney's contribution to overall drug clearance. However, this approach has limitations. It assumes sole renal excretion of the drug, which is not true for all drugs. Accurate urinary excretion and plasma drug concentration measurement can also be...
Drug Dosing: Infants and Children01:29

Drug Dosing: Infants and Children

Pediatric patient dosages diverge from adults due to disparities in body surface area, total body water, and extracellular fluid per kilogram of body weight. The dosing regimen considers the variations in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology across distinct age groups, encompassing preterm newborns, infants, young children, older children, and adolescents. Calculation of pediatric patient doses is predicated on determining body surface area, which exhibits a superior correlation with the child's...
Solubility Equilibria: Overview01:09

Solubility Equilibria: Overview

When a substance such as sodium chloride is added to water, it dissolves, forming an aqueous solution. The extent of dissolution is called solubility. The process of dissolution can exist in equilibrium, just like other chemical processes. Solubility equilibria are also called precipitation equilibria because the process of solubility can be reversible. The reverse of the solubility process is called precipitation.
Solubility is important in biological and environmental processes. A notable...