February 8/New York/Health & Beauty Close-Up -- Commonly consumed infant fruit juices contain fluoride, some at levels higher than recommended for public water supplies which can damage teeth, according to research to be presented at the International Association for Dental Research annual meeting in San Diego.

According to the research, 90 samples of three different flavors (apple, pear and grape) from three manufacturers were tested. All contained fluoride at concentrations ranging from 0.11 to 1.81 parts per million (ppm).

"Children who consume excessive amounts of juice per day may be ingesting more fluoride than the recommended daily intake," the researchers report.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended lowering "optimal" water fluoride levels to 0.7 ppm to decrease the epidemic of fluoride-discolored teeth (dental fluorosis) afflicting over 41% of adolescents. Many cities are complying; some consider ending fluoridation.

Attorney Paul Beeber, president, New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation says, "Water fluoride, along with fluoride-containing pesticide residues, is contaminating the food supply and harming our children. Clearly, artificial fluoridation must stop completely."

"Fluoride is neither a nutrient nor required for healthy teeth. Studies show fluoride ingestion doesn't reduce tooth decay," says Beeber.

Earlier research shows all infant formulas, whether ready-to-feed, concentrated or organic, contain some fluoride, (October 2009 Journal of the American Dental Association).

Researchers found fluoride in chicken products frequently eaten by children but not listed on labels, e.g., pureed chicken, chicken sticks and luncheon meat made with mechanically separated chicken. Fluoride-containing bone-dust invariably gets into the finished product (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry September, 2001).

Safe fluoride intake could "be exceeded on a recurring basis when combined with other sources of fluoride intake such as fluoridated water, foods made with fluoridated water, and swallowing of fluoridated toothpaste," write researchers, Fein and Cerklewski.

"Current evidence strongly suggests that fluorides work primarily by topical means through direct action on the teeth and dental plaque. Thus ingestion of fluoride is not essential for caries (cavity) prevention," report Warren andLevy in Dental Clinics of North America, April 2003. "There is no specific nutritional requirement for fluoride," they write.

From the February 21, 2011, Prepared Foods E-dition