SERUM FLUORIDE CONCENTRATION IN EG\'PTIAN INFANTS IN RElATION TO THE TYPE OF FEEDING

Abstract

The common use of fluoride in vanous forms is generally recognized as the main reason for the worldwide decline in dental caries. This study is aimed to uncover the real situation of serum fluoride level in Cairene infants, 1-24 months old, with respect to milk feeding and weaning in order to anticipate the necessity for fluoride supplementation by various means. This study included 97 healthy infants enrolled consecutively from the Outpatient Clinic and Casualty of the Children's Hospital of Ain Shams University. Full medical history was taken with special emphasis on teething. Anthropometric study was carried out including body weight, length and skull circumference in relation to normal percentiles for age. Venous blood samples were collected from all infants under study and breast milk samples were collected from 61 nursing mothers. Fluoride levels were estimated in both serum and breast milk by direct potentiometry using fluoride ion selective electrode in the Central Chemistry Lab ofthe Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University.

The results of this study revealed that serum fluoride levels ranged from 0.01 to 0.67 mol/L [mean 0.24 ± 0.15 mol/L]. Out of the 97 studied infants, 91 had serum fluoride levels that fell below 0.5 mol/L, which means that 93.8% of