Age-adjusted limits of fluoride intake to minimize the prevalence of fluorosis.

Abstract

The range of optimal fluoride intake for adults, 1.5 to 4 mg per day, was adjusted for children and adolescents aged 1 to 19 by relating these limits to body weight and energy intake. Limits related to weight agreed well with the usually recommended ranges for supplemented fluorides. However, for children up to 6 years of age limits related to energy intake were twice as high as those related to body weight. These differences diminished with increasing age and were small between 16 and 19 years of age. New conservative limits were based on an interval for adults ranging from 1.45 to 2.9 mg fluoride per day. The new age-adjusted limits were compatible with most current recommendations.