[Biophysical study on the effect of fluorine on calcified tissues]

The effects of ingestion of fluoride on the mineral substance of animal and human bones were studied. The topographical distribution at the microscopic level, and the Ca/P ratio in areas with high and low concentration of fluoride were analyzed by means of electron probe X-ray microanalysis; the crystallographic modification of bone mineral substance was evaluated by X-ray diffraction. The distribution pattern of fluoride was found to be related to bone remodeling, and the Ca/P ratio value tends to increase as a function of the fluoride content of the bone tissue. X-ray diffraction analysis shows a shortening of the a parameter of the bone apatite unit cell as a function of the fluoride content, which indicates the incorporation of fluoride in the crystalline network.