Abstract
The long-term effects of low concentrations of sodium fluoride (0, 1 and 5mg/l) in drinking water on bone metabolism were examined in the growing senescence accelerated mouse (SAM-P/6) as a spontaneous experimental model of senile osteoporosis.
In 4 and 8 months of age respectively, there were almost no differences in body weight, and serum calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels between controls and fluoride groups. Calcium contents per dry weight of femoral bone were higher in fluoride groups than in controls.
The bone mass of the trabecular was not affected by the low-concentration sodium fluoride intake. However, sodium fluoride decreased the rate of bone mass loss associated with aging in the cortical bone in SAM-P/6 compared with the control. The results of this study suggest that, in growing SAM-P/6 mice, a long-term low-concentration sodium fluoride intake affects the skeletal metabolism.
