FLUORIDE CONTENT OF HUMAN TEETH FROM THE ORIENT AND THE CANADIAN ARCTIC

¹ Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Mass.

Fluoride determinations have been made on the enamel and dentin of teeth from 534 individuals from the United States, Pakistan, Iran, 5 areas of India, and 5 racial and cultural groups in the Canadian Arctic regions.

In comparison with the average fluoride levels of enamel and dentin from teeth extracted in Boston, the average fluoride levels of enamel and dentin from each of the other 12 population groups were significantly higher. The highest levels of fluoride were observed in teeth extracted from military personnel in an Iranian army base and from residents of Delhi, India. The lowest levels of fluoride other than in teeth from Boston were observed in a group of Indians living in the Canadian Arctic in close proximity to trading posts or in other settlements and in residents in Dibrugarh, India.

These data suggest that relatively wide areas of the world where low dental caries susceptibility prevails may provide circumstances whereby high levels of fluoride may be available during the formation of the teeth.