FLUORIDE IN DRINKING-WATER AND THE BONE-MINERAL DENSITY OF WOMEN IN TAIWAN

Background. The current evidence on effect of fluoridation in drinking water on bone is inconsistent. This study was undertaken to assess th e effect of fluoride concentration in drinking water on bone mineral d ensity (BMD) in Taiwanese women. Methods. The study subjects included 248 women aged greater than or equal to 40 years who reside in natural ly fluoridated and adjacent areas. The individual fluoride concentrati on of the drinking water and the BMD of the subjects' lumbar spines we re assessed. Results. Women aged 46-65 years living in areas which hav e fluoride levels <0.6 mg/l (mean = 0.18 mg/l; n = 130) had slightly l ower bone densities than women living in areas with levels greater tha n or equal to 0.6 mg/l (mean 0.98 mg/l, n = 118). Only the age groups 46-50 and 61-65 years proved to be statistically significant. After co ntrolling for age and body mass index, the BMD of those who had a dose greater than or equal to 1.0 mg/l is notably higher than the referenc e group (<0.6 mg/l). After stratification by menopausal status, fluori de appeared to have no association with bone density in postmenopausal women.Conclusions. The BMD of the subjects from the area with a fluor ide dose >1 mg/l were significantly higher than those from the referen ce group (fluoride <0.6 mg/l) for premenopausal women. There is no sig nificant association between BMD and fluoride for postmenopausal women in Taiwan.