Dosage table

Fluoride doses (mg F, NaF equivalent) for early pregnancy

(* High risk is defined here as parents who already have 1 child with both birth defect and some sign of fluoride deficiency [enamel defects, pits and fissures, caries, or malocclusion], or parents who had birth defects as children and are now having children of their own, or parents-to-be being treated for infertility, or HIV infected mothers-to-be. For details and citations see the list coming up.)

(** There are no known risks with any of the doses in this table, and the following cautions may be ignored. However, doses of higher than .5 mg are probably more than a natural meals intake. For extra care, particularly between day 17 and 57 of pregnancy, intakes of over .5 mg could be taken in separate doses. Care could also be taken to not cause a sudden increase in fluoride intake during early pregnancy. I suggest increasing the dose by .5 mg a day, or starting before pregnancy.)

Some formulations of fluoride (for example, with lots of calcium) have a high mg F, but actually deliver to the bloodstream about a third as much fluoride as an equivalent amount of sodium fluoride.

            Timing of preventing birth defects. In order to prevent a birth defect that is caused by a nutrient deficiency, it is necessary to begin taking the nutrient before the defect occurs. For neural tube defects and heart defects this is about the 21st day after conception, and for cleft lip about the 42nd day. The precise timing of all birth defects is not known, but the vast majority occurs in the period that begins near conception and ends about 2 months later. It would be best to start this prevention program before conception if possible.