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OPEN WIDE: Oral Health Training for Health Professionals

Module 3: Prevention of Tooth Decay

3.5 Who Needs Fluoride Supplements, and How Much Fluoride is Enough?

Fluoride supplements are recommended only when an infant or child age 6 months or older consumes less than the optimal amount of fluoride (see Table 1. Systemic Fluoride Supplements: Recommended Dosage). Infants or children suspected of drinking mainly water that is not fluoridated should be considered for fluoride supplementation.

Table 1. Systemic Fluoride Supplements: Recommended Dosage
  Fluoride Ion Level in Drinking Water*
Age < 0.3 ppm 0.3-0.6 ppm > 0.6 ppm
Newborn-6 months None None None
6 months-3 years 0.25 mg/day** None None
3-6 years 0.50 mg/day 0.25 mg/day None
6-16 years 1.0 mg/day 0.50 mg/day None

*1.0 ppm = 1 mg/L.
** 2.2 mg sodium fluoride contains 1 mg fluoride ion.

Reproduced from ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations. 1995. Caries diagnosis and risk assessment: A review of preventive strategies and management. JADA 126 (June supplement):1S-24S. Table on page 195.

©1995 American Dental Association. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission.

The dentist or physician should consider the following before prescribing systemic fluoride drops:

  • Is the infant’s or child’s source of water from a well? If it is, the water should be tested to determine how much fluoride it contains.
  • Is the infant’s or child’s source of water bottled or processed? Bottled water often does not contain adequate amounts of fluoride; some water filtration systems filter out fluoride.