65 - Associations between Longitudinal Fluoride Intake and Bone Densitometry Outcomes at 23 Years

Monday, April 17, 2023

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Presenting Author(s)

Gurjot Kaur Bhatia, BDS

Dental Public Health Resident
Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics, Iowa, United States

Author(s)

SL

Steven M. Levy, DDS, MPH

Wright-Bush-Shreves Professor of Research
Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics, Iowa, United States
CP

Chandler Pendleton, BS, MS

Statistician/Biostatistician
Division of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics, Iowa, United States
John J. Warren, DDS, MS

Director, Graduate Program in Dental Public Health
Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics, Iowa, United States
PS

Punam K. Saha, BE, ME, PhD

Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa, United States
Erliang Zeng, BS, MS, PhD

Associate Professor
Division of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry & Dental Clinics, Iowa, United States

Abstract:

Objectives: Concerns have been raised about the impact of fluoride intake on young adults’ developing skeletons, but gaps exist in our understanding of this relationship. This analysis assessed the relationships between period-specific and cumulative daily fluoride intakes and bone densitometry outcomes of 23-year-olds.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of Iowa Fluoride Study(IFS)/Iowa Bone Development Study (IBDS) data included Multi-Detector Computed Tomography (MDCT) scans of the distal tibia from 330 participants. Nine cortical and four trabecular bone microstructural outcomes were computed using previously-validated methods. Most participants lived in optimally fluoridated areas. Estimated period-specific (0-8, 8-15, 15-23 years) and cumulative (birth to 23 years) fluoride intakes from combined sources were determined. Their sex-stratified bivariate (unadjusted) associations with MDCT outcomes were examined using Spearman correlation coefficients.

Results: Daily fluoride intakes were 0.73-1.12 mg F for males and 0.67-0.93 mg F for females. Spearman correlations for females were r= -0.13-0.18 and for males they were r= -0.17-0.23. Among the 36 fluoride associations with trabecular measures, only 6 (5 for males and 1 for females) had statistically suggestive bivariate (unadjusted) correlations (p < 0.05), none were statistically significant (p < 0.01), and they were all positive and weak. None of the fluoride intakes had statistically significant (p < 0.01) or statistically suggestive (0.01< p< 0.05) correlations with cortical measures for either sex.

Conclusions: Longitudinal period-specific and cumulative fluoride intakes were associated weakly and mostly positively with MDCT bone measures at age 23 years. Hence, fluoride intakes within the optimal range do not appear to have any adverse impact on bone health in young adults.

Source of Funding: This study was supported by the NIH grants M01-RR00059, R01-DE09551, R01-DE12101, UL1-RR024979, Dr. Levy’s Wright–Bush-Shreves Endowed Professor Fund at the University of Iowa, and the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation.