Fluorine in the diet as a factor in the prevention of dental caries.

Caries can be controlled by the early treatment of the carious lesion, by alteration of conditions upon the tooth surface and by dietary means during the period of tooth formation. The incidence of dental caries is influenced by a large number of factors. After the teeth have erupted, local conditions on the surface of the teeth have the greatest influence, but tooth structure is of considerable importance. Teeth that have a rough surface texture are more readily attacked by caries than those presenting a smooth surface,1, 2 and it has been demonstrated by one observer that a rough surface texture of the enamel. is associated with hypocalcification of the deeper layers of the enamel beneath.3 4 Both conditions are consideied to be the result of metabolic disturbance , usually of dietary origin, during tooth formation. Effect of Calcium and Phosphorus in Diet Tooth structure is sensitive to metabolic disturbance during tooth formation5 and has been shown to be affected in animals by dietary means, particularly by alteration of the calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D levels of the diet. Toverud6 carried out a carefully controlled study in Norway and showed that dental caries could be reduced in children by dietary control carried out over the entire period of tooth formation. This necessitated diet control during the antenatal and post-natal periods up to the time of tooth eruption. Under the age of five years, the clinical difference between the dental caries incidence of the controlled and uncontrolled groups was remarkable. However, the percentage difference diminished with age, as both groups above a certain age showed a similar rate of caries incidence, but in each age group those who had undergone diet control had less dental caries. Effect of Fluorine in Diet Epidemiological studies demonstrate that the ingestion of a trace of fluorine during tooth formation also affects the tooth structure and lowers the incidence of dental caries. The addition of fluorine to the diet might, therefore, be a possible means of mass caries control. The first effect of fluorine upon the teeth to be reported was a white mottling or a brown staining and pitting of the enamel surface.7 This condition was noticed in a large percentage of teeth of people living in certain well-defined localities. One hundred and forty of such endemic areas were reported in the U.S.A., and Ainsworth,8 in this country, reported upon the mottled teeth found in the …