• Yuttana Punya-ngarm
• Pornsri Patimanukaseam
• Krissanun Prakongsup
• Santerm Mudhasakul

Objective  To determine urinary fluoride excreted during 3 hours after intake sodium fluoride (NaF) tablet with water, plain milk and high calcium (Ca) milk.

Materials and Methods  Ten healthy subjects, 19 - 21 year-old, took 0.25 mg NaF tablet with 250 ml water. Afterwards, urine samples were collected every 30 minutes for 3 hours. The volume of urine was measured, and fluoride ion concentration was determined by fluoride electrode. Mean fluoride ion concentration excreted in 3 hours and mean percentages of total fluoride ingested were calculated. The experiments were repeated 4 times for 2 kinds of plain milk and 2 kinds of high Ca milk. Each experiment was performed at least 24 hours apart. The differences of mean fluoride concentration excreted after intake NaF tablet with water and each kind of milk were compared statistically by one ñway ANOVA and LSD at 0.05 significant level.

Results  The mean fluoride excreted in 3 hr-urine after intake NaF tablet with water, plain milk 1, plain milk 2, high Ca milk 1 and high Ca milk 2 were 0.139 + 0.014, 0.114 + 0.026, 0.113 + 0.034, 0.079 + 0.022 and 0.080 + 0.024 mg, which were 55.6, 45.6, 45.2, 31.6 and 32.0% of total fluoride ingested, respectively. The mean urinary fluoride concentration excreted after intake with water was significantly higher than those excreted after intake with 4 kinds of milk (p < 0.05). The mean urinary fluoride concentration excreted after intake with 2 kinds of plain milk were significantly hgher than those excreted after intake with 2 kinds of high Ca milk (p < 0.05).

Conclusion  The increase of Ca concentration in milk led to lower fluoride concentration excreted in urine.

(CU Dent J 2003;26:15-21)