Distribution of Fluoride in Teeth from Areas with Different Levels of Fluoride in the Water Supply

¹ Forsyth Dental Infirmary, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and Eastman Dental Dispensary, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

1. The distribution of fluoride was studied in teeth of different ages from geographical areas whose water supplies contain 0.1, 1.0, 2.9, 3.0, and 5.2 ppm fluoride.

2. The concentration of fluoride in successive layers of enamel decreased from the surface inward and tended to level off in the mid-portion of the enamel toward the dentino-enamel junction.

3. The level of fluoride increased in all portions of the enamel with increasing levels of fluoride in the drinking water.

4. The concentration of fluoride increased with advancing age in the outermost, but not in the principal portion of the enamel.

5. Higher concentrations of fluoride were always found in the surface layers of dentin (pulpal dentin) and in the root surface (cementum) than in the inner dentinal portions.

6. A greater increase in fluoride was observed in dentin than in enamel with increasing concentrations of fluoride in the drinking water.

7. There was a marked increase with age in the concentrations of fluoride in the pulpal portion of dentin and in the root surface.

8. The concentration of fluoride in dentin was greater than in enamel, with the exception that more fluoride was found in the outermost portion of the enamel than in the bulk portion of dentin.

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