Daily fluoride intake from the diet of Hungarian children in fluoride deficient and naturally fluoridated areas.

Average daily dietary intakes of F were determined for 67 kindergarten children (X age 3.9 years) and 118 schoolchildren (X age 14.0 years), resident in one of three areas where the concentration of naturally occurring F in the household water ranged 0.06-0.11 mg/l, 0.05-1.10 mg/l and 1.6-3.1 mg/l. Mean daily F intakes increased consistently and significantly with increasing F content of the water in all dietary categories in both age groups. Due to relatively low water and high milk consumption, F from foods has made a greater contribution to total F intake (40-53% over the whole sample) than F in water ingested as such, or in beverages. The total amount of F ingested from dietary sources is considered safe even at the highest intake levels found (X = 0.44 mg/day, SD = 0.11 at 3.9 years; 1.49 mg/day, SD = 0.35 at 14.0 years).