High exposure to fluoride is known to be a risk factor for dental fluorosis.

Friday Dec 25, 2015 (foodconsumer.org) -- High exposure to fluoride is known to be a risk factor for dental fluorosis.   A new study conducted in China now suggests that high amounts of ingested fluoride from drinking water and foods may also damage skeletal bone and induce skeletal fluorosis.

The study found fluoride can disturb the arrangement of collagen fibers and cause adverse ultrastructural changes in bone.  The study also found fluoride decreases the transcription of the COL1A1 gene and the production of collagen protein in bone.

Previous studies have already revealed long-term excessive ingestion of fluoride can induce skeletal fluorosis and damage type I collagen, which plays a role in bone stability and cell biological function.

Fluoride, which is not a nutrient that plays any role in human physiology, has been known to be a neurotoxin.  Studies show fluoride exposure lowers IP in children.  Boys may be more sensitive to the adverse effects of fluoride.  Elevated risk for a rare bone cancer has been found in boys who had high intake of fluoride.

Fluoride is added in about 74% of U.S. public drinking water to prevent dental caries while the subject remains controversial as studies often do not support the notion that fluoridation is protective against dental disease. (David Liu)

Xiaoyan Yan Xianhui Haob, Qingli Nie, Cuiping Feng, Hongwei Wang, Zilong Sun, Ruiyan Niu, Jundong Wang, Effects of fluoride on the ultrastructure and expression of Type I collagen in rat hard tissue, Chemosphere, Volume 128, June 2015, Pages 36–41