Urinary Excretion of Fluoride Following Ingestion of MFP Toothpastes by Infants Aged Two to Six Years

¹ Department of Caries Research, Eastman Dental Center, 625 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, New York 14620

The absorption and excretion of fluoride in a group of 25 infants (<6 years of age) were followed for up to seven hours after the ingestion of a known quantity of either sodium monofluorophosphate alone in solution, or toothpastes with sodium monofluorophosphate and an abrasive of either hydrated silica or dicalcium phosphate dihydrate. Fluoride appeared to be well-absorbed based on the excretion patterns found. From the results, it was concluded that parents of pre-school-aged children should now be given appropriate advice regarding their children's use of fluoride toothpaste. Such use of fluoride toothpaste should be closely supervised by the parents, and only a smear of paste, about the size of a pea, should be used, particularly where fluoride supplements are used. Because of the likelihood of toothpastes with even higher amounts of fluoride being marketed, it would also appear that toothpaste manufacturers and researchers in caries prevention should look further at the problem of fluoride absorption from toothpastes in infants.