THE ROLE OF FLUORIDE IN THE PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS

Although sodium fluoride is a potent stimulator of bone formation, a c lear role for this therapy in osteoporosis remains elusive. Controlled clinical trials uniformly document an increase in bone mineral densit y but have provided conflicting results concerning antifracture effica cy. The increase in bone density is dose-dependent but higher doses ap pear to affect biomechanical properties of the skeleton adversely. New er preparations of slow-release sodium fluoride and monosodium fluorop hosphate may clarify the role of fluoride in osteoporosis.