Comparison of Fluoride Contents of Human Dental and Skeletal Tissues

¹ Department of Physiological Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

The fluoride content of the ash of a fraction of teeth, believed to be cementum, was found to be higher than that of enamel, dentin, and bone derived from the same individuals. The relationship of fluoride contents of cementum and bones allows a fair accuracy in the calculation of fluoride content of the skeleton from that of the former in a population of older people whose fluoride intake was probably not exceptionally high. The fluoride contents of dentin and bones were less well correlated, and, as is to be expected, the fluoride contents of enamel and bone were poorly related.