Fluormotstand. Er fluor som anbefales i kariesforebyggende arbeid skadelig?
Sammanfattning
Dental personnel will meet claims that fluoride for caries prevention is harmful. Discussions concerning properties of fluoride are frequently encountered in media and on internet. The purpose of this study was firstly, to identify the arguments used against fluoride for caries prevention, and secondly, to evaluate the scientific documentation for association between fluoride and effects on humans. Data was collected by searches using Google and PubMed. Search to identify arguments for harmful effect of fluoride returned 7 246 300 hits. The most common arguments against fluoride included effect on teeth, skeleton, endocrine and nervous systems, kidneys, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. A total of 1 490 scientific publications were identified in PubMed search. After evaluation of titles and abstracts, 73 publications were evaluated. The results showed that fluoride had harmful effects on humans if dosages recommended in caries-preventive agents were exceeded. In dosages recommended in Norway, the caries-preventive effect of fluoride is well documented. When dental personnel encounter arguments against use of fluoride in dentistry it is important to take concerns seriously and provide solid, understandable information about the effects of fluoride on the human body.