[Fluoride content of bottled natural mineral waters in Spain and prevention of dental caries]

Fluoride concentration in bottled drinking water from a fluoride endemic area: A market-based survey

Drinking water is the primary source of fluoride intake for humans around the world. In southern Algeria, dental fluorosis is considered an epidemic that is spreading among the population by health professionals. Thus, the consumption of bottled water is important because it is considered safer for health.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to determine the fluoride concentrations of bottled water commercially available in southern Algeria and report the non-carcinogenic health risk via daily human intake.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

By 2021, 28 commercial brands were obtained from different supermarkets in Ouargla, Algeria. Fluoride was measured using a validated spectrophotometric method. The fluoride risk quotient (HQ) and the estimated daily intake (EDI) were calculated.

RESULTS

All the brands did not mention the fluoride content on the label. The mean level was 0.40 ± 0.42 mg/L, and a wide range was found [0.00-1.65 mg/L]. The average was below the WHO standard. Most samples (75%, n = 21) contained less than 0.50 mg/L, which can cause dental caries. The HQ values average were less than 1, suggesting no health risk associated with drinking bottled water.

CONCLUSION

With the increasing consumption of bottled water, this work is important for primary prevention programs for dental caries. The main contribution is the constitution of a database concerning the fluoride levels in bottled water marketed in southern Algeria. Labelling of fluoride concentrations by manufacturers should be mandatory.

Human exposure to fluoride from tea (Camellia sinensis) in a volcanic region-Canary Islands, Spain

Fluoride is highly present in the environment, especially in water and its derivatives. Excessive fluoride contribution to diet poses a health risk. Tea leaves accumulate fluoride and the consumption of tea (Camellia sinensis) could pose a risk to human by the excessive fluoride intake. Ninety tea samples were analyzed by potentiometry using a selective fluoride ion electrode. Mixed tea samples (2.82 ± 1.11 mg/L) and black tea samples (2.28 ± 0.79 mg/L) recorded the highest fluoride levels. The contribution of drinking water is important for increasing fluoride levels in teas. The daily consumption of two cups (250 mL per cup) of mixed and black teas prepared with La Laguna tap water does pose a health risk for children (4-8 years old) because of the high contribution percentages (74.4% and 63.6%, respectively) of the Tolerable Upper Intake Level set in 2.5 mg/day by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). A minor consumption in children (4-8 years old) and adults during pregnancy is advisable.

Citizen science charts two major "stomatotypes" in the oral microbiome of adolescents and reveals links with habits and drinking water composition

BACKGROUND

The oral cavity comprises a rich and diverse microbiome, which plays important roles in health and disease. Previous studies have mostly focused on adult populations or in very young children, whereas the adolescent oral microbiome remains poorly studied. Here, we used a citizen science approach and 16S profiling to assess the oral microbiome of 1500 adolescents around Spain and its relationships with lifestyle, diet, hygiene, and socioeconomic and environmental parameters.

RESULTS

Our results provide a detailed snapshot of the adolescent oral microbiome and how it varies with lifestyle and other factors. In addition to hygiene and dietary habits, we found that the composition of tap water was related to important changes in the abundance of several bacterial genera. This points to an important role of drinking water in shaping the oral microbiota, which has been so far poorly explored. Overall, the microbiome samples of our study can be clustered into two broad compositional patterns (stomatotypes), driven mostly by Neisseria and Prevotella, respectively. These patterns show striking similarities with those found in unrelated populations.

CONCLUSIONS

We hypothesize that these stomatotypes represent two possible global optimal equilibria in the oral microbiome that reflect underlying constraints of the human oral niche. As such, they should be found across a variety of geographical regions, lifestyles, and ages.

Potentiometric Determination of Fluoride Concentration in Beers

Beer is a widely consumed drink throughout the world, and because its manufacture involves the use of water, beer can be, in some cases, a source of fluorides. For this reason, the objective of this study was to determine the concentration of fluorides in 50 samples of beers from different sources sold in two different types of container (aluminum can and glass bottle). The possible significant differences between the different types of packaging and the intake of fluoride from the consumption of these beers were evaluated. The concentration of fluoride in beers has been determined using the potentiometric method of fluoride determination by standard addition. The concentration of fluoride ranged between 0.06 and 1.77 mg/L. In general, the concentration was below 1 mg/L, except for three beer samples from Ireland and the USA, whose concentration was over 1.5 mg/L. No significant differences were found between the types of packaging. The contribution of fluoride to the diet from beer consumption is not high (<27%); however, it is necessary to warn consumers whenever they are in areas of high concentrations of fluoride in the water supply.