Complications
No complications are expected for people who get
daily doses of fluoride falling between the AI and UL
limits.
Too little fluoride resultsin increased tooth decay.
Too much fluoride can cause illness or death. A 40 lb (18
kg) child would likely begin to show symptoms of fluoride
poisoning after consuming about 55 mg of fluoride (3 mg/
kg of body weight), and a dose of 290 mg (16 mg/kg of
body weight) would likely be fatal. In 2004, the American
Association of Poison Control Centers reported 24,180
incidents involving toothpaste with fluoride, 440 of which
required emergency room treatment. About 22,000 of
these incidents were with children under age six who ate
toothpaste. Symptoms of fluoride poisoning include nau-
sea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, muscle spasms, irreg-
ular heart beat, coma, and death. Besides toothpaste and
mouthwash, fluoride is also found in pesticides, rodent
poisons, and chrome polish for automobiles.
Parental concerns
Children should be taught not to eat toothpaste,
and an adult should supervise tooth brushing for chil-
dren under age six. Mouthwash containing fluoride
and prescription fluoride supplements should be kept
out of reach of children. A child who eats fluoridated
toothpaste or mouthwash should receive an immedi-
ate medical evaluation.
Resources
BOOKS
Bryson, Christopher.The Fluoride Deception. New York:
Seven Stories Press, 2006.
Fawell, J., K. Bailey, and J. Chilton, eds.Fluoride in Drink-
ing-water. Seattle, WA: IWA Publishing, 2006.
Fluoride in Drinking Water: A Scientific Review of EPA’s Stand-
ards. Washington, DC: National Academies Press,
2006.
PERIODICALS
Centers for Disease Control. ‘‘Achievements in Public
Health, 1900–1999: Fluoridation of Drinking Water to
Prevent Dental Caries.’’Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Review. 48 (October 22, 1999): 933-40. [cited
May 7, 2007].http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/
mmwrhtml/mm4841a1.htm.
Centers for Disease Control. ‘‘Recommendations for Using
Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries in the
United States.’’Mortality and Morbidity Weekly
Review. 50, RR-14, (Aug 17, 2001): 1-42.
Palmer, Carole, A., and John J. B. Anderson. ‘‘The Impact
of Fluoride on Health.’’American Dietetic Association
Reports. 105, no. 10 (October 2005): 1620-1628. [cited
May 7, 2007].http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/
ada/hs.xsl/home_3795_ENU_HTML.htm.
ORGANIZATIONS
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. 211 East
Chicago Ave., Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60611-2616.
Telephone: (312) 337-2169. Fax: Fax (312) 337-6329.
Website:<http://www.aapd.org.>.
American Dental Association. 211 East Chicago Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60611-2678. Telephone: (312)-440-2500.
Website:<http://www.ada.org>.
American Dietetic Association. 120 South Riverside Plaza,
Suite 2000, Chicago, Illinois 60606-6995. Telephone:
(800) 877-1600. Website:<http://www.eatright.org>.
Safe Drinking Water Coalition. P.O. Box 443, Lehi, UT- Telephone: (801) 766-8825 or (801) 765-1995.
Fax: (801) 776-8826 or (801) 492-0210. Website:
http://www.stopfluoridation.homestead.com.
OTHER
A.D.A.M. ‘‘Fluoride in Diet.’’MedlinePlus. March 3, 2007.
[cited May 8, 2007].http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medline
plus/ency/article/002420.htm.
‘‘Fluoride.’’Oral Health. University of Maryland Medical
Center, 2006. [cited May 7, 2007].http://www.umm.
edu/oralhealth/flouride.htm.
Higdon, Jane. ‘‘Fluoride.’’Micronutrient Information
Center. Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University.
April 11, 2003. [cited May 7, 2007].http://lpi.oregon
state.edu/infocenter/minerals/fluoride.
Nochimson, Geoffrey. ‘‘Toxicity, Fluoride.’’eMedicine.
January 8, 2007. [cited May 8, 2007].http://www.
emedicine.com/emerg/topic181.htm.
Tish Davidson, A.M.Folate
Definition
Folate is a naturally occurring water-soluble vita-
min that the body needs to remain healthy. Folic acid is
a stable synthetic form of folate that is found indietary
supplementsand is added to fortified foods such as
flour and cereal. Humans cannot make folate or folic
acid, so they must get it from foods in their diet or as a
dietary supplement. Folic acid and folate are both con-
verted into an active form in that the body can use,
although folic acid is more easily used (more bioavail-
able) in the body. Folic acid is also called vitamin B 9Purpose
Folate is necessary to create new DNA (genetic
material) and RNA when cells divide. It plays a critical
role in developing healthy red blood cells. Folate also
helps protect DNA from damage that may lead to
diseases such ascancer. Along withvitaminsB 6 andFolate