Fluoride and Osteoporosis
Authors: Robert P. Heaney
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1994)

Editorials15 April 1994Fluoride and OsteoporosisRobert P. Heaney, MDRobert P. Heaney, MDCreighton University, Omaha, NE 68131.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-120-8-199404150-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail All substances are poisons; there is none that is not a poison. The right dose distinguishes a poison and a remedy.ParacelsusParacelsus could have been talking about fluoride. At high doses, it can be lethal. At low doses (1 to 2 mg/d), it prevents dental caries. At intermediate doses (8 to 80 mg/d, which might be encountered in geographic regions with high fluoride levels in well water or in settings of industrial exposure to cryolite dust), skeletal fluorosis develops. Taking advantage of this osteosclerosing effect, which is toxic in a different setting, clinical investigators have used fluoride to increase ...References1. Riggs BL, Hodgson SF, O'Fallon WM, Chao EY, Wahner HW, Muhs JM, et al. Effect of fluoride treatment on the fracture rate in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. N Engl J Med. 1990; 322: 802-9. Google Scholar2. Heaney RP, Baylink DJ, Johnston CC Jr, Melton LJ 3d, Meunier PJ, Murray TM, et al. Fluoride therapy for vertebral crush fracture syndrome. A status report. Ann Intern Med. 1989; 111:678-80. Google Scholar3. Pak CY, Sakhaee K, Piziak V, Peterson RD, Breslau NA, Boyd P, et al. Slow-release sodium fluoride in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 1994; 120:625-32. Google Scholar4. Farley SM, Wergedal JE, Farley JR, Javier GN, Schulz EE, Talbot JR, et al. Spinal fractures during fluoride therapy for osteoporosis: relationship to spinal bone density. Osteoporos Int. 1992; 2:213-8. Google Scholar5. Riggs BL, O'Fallon WM, Lane A, Hodgson SF, Wahner HW, Muhs J, et al. Clinical trial of fluoride therapy in postmenopausal osteoporotic women: extended observations and additional analysis. J Bone Miner Res. 1994; 9:265-75. Google Scholar6. Dure-Smith BA, Farley SM, Linkhart SG, Baylink DJ. Fluoride treated patients become calcium deficient despite calcium supplements: correction with 1, 25 vitamin D3. In: Christiansen C, Riis B, eds. Proceedings Fourth International Symposium on Osteoporosis 1993. Handelstrykkeriet Aalborg ApS, Aalborg, Denmark: 1993: 146-7. Google Scholar7. Kanis JA. Treatment of symptomatic osteoporosis with fluoride. Am J Med. 1993; 95:53S-61S. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Robert P. Heaney, MDAffiliations: Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68131.Corresponding Author: Robert P. Heaney, MD, Creighton University, 601 North 30th Street, Suite 4841, Omaha, NE 68131. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoCalcium Supplementation with and without Hormone Replacement Therapy To Prevent Postmenopausal Bone Loss John F. Aloia , Ashok Vaswani , James K. Yeh , Patrick L. Ross , Edith Flaster , and F. Avraham Dilmanian Metrics Cited byMenopause and care of the mature womanMenopause and AgingMenopause and AgingEffects of Fluoride and Cadmium co-Exposure on Bone in Male RatsMenopause and Care of the Mature WomanHepatoprotective effect of gallic acid isolated from Peltiphyllum peltatum against sodium fluoride-induced oxidative stressLong-term therapeutic effect of novel calcium phosphate-based compounds injected in ovariectomized ratsMenopause and AgingMenopauseInterventions for OsteoporosisFluoride and Bone HealthOsteoporosis in inflammatory bowel disease: effect of calcium and vitamin D with or without fluorideFluoride in OsteoporosisCyclical etidronate versus sodium fluoride in established postmenopausal osteoporosis: a randomized 3 year trialEstrogens and OsteoporosisOsteoporosis: intervention optionsFluoride Potentiates the Osteogenic Effects of IGF-I in Aged Ovariectomized RatsAIternative to Estroge Replacement Therapy for Preventing OsteoporosisWhat is the future for fluoride in the treatment of osteoporosis? 15 April 1994Volume 120, Issue 8Page: 689-690KeywordsBoneCalcitoninCalciumOsteoporosisResearch designSafetySkeletonSodiumSpineStatistical data ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 April 1994 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1994 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...