High Fluoride Content of Teeth from Communities with Low Fluoride Water Supplies

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Abstract
The enamel and dentin of teeth from individuals in Delhi and Bombay had a much higher fluoride content than would be expected in view of the low fluoride content of the water supplies in these communities. The fluoride values for the enamel and dentin of Boston teeth were in the same low range as has been reported for the teeth of individuals in other low-fluoride communities in the temperate zone. Only part of the difference in fluoride content between the teeth of Boston individuals and those of Delhi and Bombay can be explained by the probable higher water consumption among the Indian citizens. The remainder of the difference would appear to be due to an additional source of fluoride in the diet, with sea salt as a logical possibility, or to a higher rate of absorption and utilization of the ingested fluorides, or to some combination of these two factors.