Fluoride treatments

Hi, I'm in Tobago and I apologize in advance if I'm hitting a nerve
(ooh, terrible, unintended dental pun), but I'm working out of an
Internet cafe and I don't have time to research whether this has been
answered before.

I need to know whether or not to supplement my 10-month-old baby with
fluoride drops. We just moved here. The pediatrician here doesn't know
about fluoride treatments and can't advise me. I can't tell from the
following journal article whether or not I should use the fluoride
drops (.5 ml) my pediatrician gave me before we moved here.

We drink bottled water and brush her gums with non-fluoride baby
toothpaste. I don't want to overdose her with fluoride. Anyone want to
chip in?

http://www.hdassoc.org/site/epage/21150_351.htm

15. Analysis of Fluoride Sources in Trinidad and Tobago
A.A. ADEWAKUN1, E.A. VALDEZ2, J. LOZANO-PINEDA2*, C. GODDARD3, A.-M.
MCMILLAN-HAYNES3, S. RAMSUBHAG4, B.T. AMAECHI2
1 Oral Healthcare Solutions, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, 2
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA, 3 Water
and Sewerage Authority, Trinidad and Tobago, 4 The University of the
West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.
Objective: Previous studies reported a moderate (1961, DMFT = 3.9) and
a high (1989, DMFT = 4.9) caries prevalence among 12 years old children
in Trinidad and Tobago (TT). Completed part of this project, examining
the oral health status of children in Trinidad and Tobago, showed a low
prevalence in 2003 with DMFT and dmft of 1.35 and 1.78 respectively for
children 6, 12 and 15 years old. The cause of this low prevalence may
be an increased availability of fluoride. Therefore, the aim of the
present study was to determine the fluoride availability in Trinidad
and Tobago by analyzing the fluoride level in different sources.
Method: Fluoride levels in mouth rinses, salts, toothpastes,
medications, chewing gum, bottled water, natural and tap-borne water,
collected from different locations, in TT were determined using a
Thermo Orion ISE/pH meter model 710APlus and a fluoride electrode model
96-09. The extent of use among children aged 15 years and under in 26
government dental centers in the 4 Health Regions was also
investigated. Results: Distribution of natural levels in water ranged
from 0.009-1.9 mg/l in Trinidad (mean 0.198+/-0.262) and 0.006-0.87
mg/l in Tobago (mean 0.249+/-0.261). Bottled water levels ranged from
0.0- 0.3 ppm. Salt levels ranged from 0-0.25% fluoride. Toothpaste
levels ranged from 0-1.8% fluoride. Fluoride in high-fluoride and
normal mouth rinse brands ranged from 250-1450 ppm and 0-1.9 ppm
respectively. Professional fluoride application is by APF gel (1.23%
NaF) and available to 5-35% of eligible children. One liquid vitamin
preparation had 0.25 mg/ml and fluoride was absent in all dental floss
and chewing gum brands. Conclusions: Children residing in Trinidad and
Tobago are obtaining optimal amounts of fluoride, hence, the decline in
caries prevalence between 1989 and 2003. Toothpaste and mouth rinses
are the most available and consistent source of optimal fluoride. Salt
is the most unreliable and variable source of optimal fluoride. The
general low fluoride levels in water sources are deemed adequate.

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