Effect of Drinking Water Fluoridation on Stapedial Otosclerosis in a Low Fluoride Area

Abstract

Fluoride level artificially elevated to 0.95–0.99 µg/g in drinking water has within 20 years caused a highly significant increase in the fluoride content of bone compared with the values found in residents of a low-fluoride area. This fact, however, does not seem to have any effect on the occurrence of otosclerosis or on the age at which the disease manifests itself. However, drinking water flu-oridation seemed to have a slightly beneficial influence on the bone and air conduction thresholds of the otosclerotic patients, i.e. on the severity of the disease.