AbstractsMedical & Health Science

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries fluorine was generally considered to be a poison. Scientif articles dealt with its toxic properties when used in preservatives and pesticides, and with the ill-effects of extremely high concentrations of fluoride in drinking water and in industrial processing. About 1942 the beneficial effects of optimum concentrations of fluorine became apparent. It was found that certain communities had water supplies which contained fluorine at a level which tended to reduce dental caries. As a public health procedure other communities began to fluorinate their water to a level which was cansidered optimum for the reduction of dental caries. This level was generally found to be one part per million of fluorine. [...]