Infant Fluoride Intake Infant fluoride intake when powdered formula is reconstituted with fluoridated water can range

up to 1.57 mg/day in a 3 month old. Published formula/fluoridated water warnings. According to the CDC, the Tolerable Upper Intake of fluoride for a three month old infant equals 0.7 mg/day, meaning some of the above formula-fed-infants are getting a dose of fluoride more than double the recognized limit. Escalating Dental Fluorosis Rates In their most recent survey, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that 41% of adolescents aged 12-15 exhibited dental fluorosis. They found that 3.6% of the children had moderate and severe fluorosis, an almost threefold increase from their last survey. A record high dental fluorosis prevalence of 80.9% was reported in children 12-14 years old in Augusta, Georgia. Moderate-to-severe fluorosis was found in 14% of the children. Black children experience twice the fluorosis rates as whites and their fluorosis tends to be more severe. A published CDC study reported that approximately 2% of US schoolchildren may experience esthetically objectionable fluorosis that is attributable to water fluoridation. Numerous references say dental fluorosis is a sign for a need to reduce fluoride exposure. Severely fluorotic teeth are difficult to repair. Lifetime costs to correct dental fluorosis may exceed $100,000. A dental fluorosis disfigurement case is going to the U.S. Court of Appeals as explained in this March 12, 2014 News Release. (Note that lawyers are now placing ads in university newspapers seeking to contact students with dental fluorosis.) Hydrogen Fluoride Formation The acidic environment of the stomach ensures that more than 90% of ingested fluoride in the above infants formula will be in the form of hydrogen fluoride (HF). The CDC warns that hydrogen fluoride damages cells and causes them to not work properly. A study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology revealed that gastric mucosa abnormalities were common in patients afflicted with fluorosis. Electron microscopy images reveal epithelial disruption. No Systemic Fluoride Benefit Fluoride incorporated during tooth development is insufficient to play a significant role in caries protection. Fluoride prevents dental caries predominately after eruption of the tooth into the mouth, and its actions primarily are topical for both adults and children. Fluoride from topical sources is converted partially to HF by the acid that the bacteria produce and diffuses into the cell, thereby inhibiting essential enzyme activity. JADA, CDC and Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology.