Dietary Fluoride Intake in Man

Abstract

The fluoride content of a large number of constant metabolic diets, of individual dietary items, and of general hospital diets was determined in the Chicago area. The average fluoride content of the constant metabolic diet, exclusive of the fluoridated drinking water, ranged from 1.6 to 1.9 mg/day over a period of 6 years. The fluoride content of the general hospital diet was similar to that of the constant metabolic diet. The dietary fluoride intake was equally distributed in the three meals (breakfast, lunch, and supper) in the metabolic diet and in the general hospital diet. When the drinking water was temporarily not fluoridated in the Chicago area, the general hospital diet contained about half the amount of fluoride as that during water fluoridation, the average values being 0.86 mg vs. 1.96 mg/day, respectively. The information obtained by determining the dietary fluoride intake is useful for estimating the retention of fluoride in man as the pathways and patterns of fluoride excretion during different intakes of fluoride have been described.