Urinary Fluoride Levels among Canadians with and without Community Water Fluoridation

Julia K. Riddell, Ashley J. Malin, Hugh McCague, David B. Flora and Christine Till
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Julia K. Riddell: Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB N3E 3N4, Canada
Ashley J. Malin: Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, CA 90032, USA
Hugh McCague: Institute for Social Research, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
David B. Flora: Institute for Social Research, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Christine Till: Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Drinking water is a major source of dietary fluoride intake in communities with water fluoridation. We examined the association between urinary fluoride adjusted for specific gravity (UF SG ) and tap water fluoride levels, by age and sex, among individuals living in Canada. Participants included 1629 individuals aged 3 to 79 years from Cycle 3 (2012–2013) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey. We used multiple linear regression to estimate unique associations of tap water fluoride levels, age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), use of fluoride-containing dental products, smoking in the home, and tea consumption with UF SG . UF SG concentration was significantly higher among participants who received fluoridated drinking water ( mean = 1.06 mg/L, standard deviation = 0.83) than among those who did not ( M = 0.58 mg/L, SD = 0.47), p < 0.01. UF SG increased over adulthood (ages 19 to 79). Higher UF SG concentration was associated with being female, tea drinking, and smoking in the home. In conclusion, community water fluoridation is a major source of contemporary fluoride exposure for Canadians. Lifestyle factors including tea consumption, as well as demographic variables such as age and sex, also predict urinary fluoride level, and are therefore important factors when interpreting population-based fluoride biomonitoring data.

Keywords: urinary fluoride; fluoride excretion; community water fluoridation; Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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