Developmental fluoride neurotoxicity: an updated review.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Neuroscience
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Community water fluoridation, once a public health mainstay for caries prevention, is now debated due to increased fluoride intake.
• Concerns exist regarding the efficacy of systemic fluoride uptake versus topical application for dental health.
• Emerging evidence suggests potential neurotoxicity from systemic fluoride exposure, especially during early development, with fluoride crossing the brain-blood barrier.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent literature on fluoride exposure and intellectual disability in children.
• To assess findings published after a 2012 meta-analysis on fluoride and cognitive function.

Main Methods:

• An integrated literature review was performed.
• The review focused on studies concerning fluoride exposure and intellectual disability in children, published after 2012.

Main Results:

• Fourteen cross-sectional studies indicated cognitive deficits in children with high fluoride exposure from natural groundwater sources.
• Three prospective studies demonstrated a negative association between early-life fluoride exposure and cognitive test performance.
• Neurotoxicity appears dose-dependent, with potential safe exposure levels possibly lower than currently recommended drinking water concentrations.

Conclusions:

• Recent epidemiological data suggest that elevated early-life fluoride intake can lead to significant IQ deficits.
• The neurotoxic risks of fluoride must be considered when evaluating the safety of fluoridated drinking water and dental preventive treatments.