Fluoride Research Program

To optimize the beneficial effects of fluoride while reducing its detrimental effects.

The primary objectives of the Fluoride Program are to:

• develop diagnostic methodologies to accurately determine fluoride presence in biological and non-biological samples;

• determine the role of fluoride in the onset and progression of demineralization and remineralization;

• develop and refine methodologies to diagnose dental fluorosis through clinical, photographic and digital imaging evaluations, including dental fluorosis and incipient caries differential diagnosis;

• determine the mechanisms by which fluoride affects the development of dental and skeletal fluorosis, including:

  • Genetic factors that alter host response to fluoride

  • Critical threshold for fluoride exposure in infants and young children below which dental fluorosis does not develop

  • Sources of fluoride exposure and intake

• develop studies and fluoride-based community interventions to address and identify disparities in dental caries and dental fluorosis prevalence caused by cultural, social or behavioral differences, focusing on Latino/Binational populations

• determine if patients have concerns, that may affect their quality of life, regarding the presence of dental fluorosis, taking into account the effects of environmental and cultural influences on oral health behaviors;

Dr. E. Angeles Martínez-Mier

Other Faculty Supporting the Program

Dr. Masatoshi Ando
Dr. Hafsteinn Eggertsson
Dr. Carlos González-Cabezas
Dr. Richard Jackson
Dr. Gerardo Maupomé
Dr. Armando Soto-Rojas
Dr. George Stookey
Dr. Karen Yoder
Dr. Domenick Zero

Research Fellows Supporting the Program

Tech. Chris Buckley

Relevant Publications

Soto-Rojas AE, Martínez-Mier EA, Ureña-Cirett JL, Jackson RD, Stookey GK. Development of a Standardization Device for Photographic Assessment of Dental Fluorosis in Field Studies Accepted for publication July 2007 Oral Health Prev Dent

Kaori Kubota, Daniel H. Lee, Eric T. Everett, Esperanza A. Martinez-Mier, Malcolm L. Snead, Linh Nguyen, Fumihiko Urano, and John D. Bartlett (2005) Fluoride Induces ER Stress in Ameloblast Cells that are Responsible for Dental Enamel Formation. J Biol Chem. Jun 17;280(24):23194-202.

Martínez-Mier E. A., Soto-Rojas A. E., Buckley C. M., Margineda J., Zero D. T. (2005) Fluoride Concentration of Bottled Water, Tap Water, and Fluoridated Salt from Two Communities in Mexico. Int Dent J. Apr;55(2):93-9.

Ángela M. Franco, Stefanía Martignon, Alexandra Saldarriaga, María C. González, María I. Arbeláez, Alvaro Ocampo, Luz M. Luna. E. Angeles Martínez-Mier, Alberto E. Villa (2005). Total Fluoride Intake in 22-35 Months Old Children in Four Colombian Cities. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 33:1-8

Martínez-Mier, EA; Maupomé, G; Soto-Rojas, AE; Ureña-Cirett, JL; Katz, B; Stookey, GK: Development of a questionnaire to measure perceptions of, and concerns derived from, dental fluorosis. Community Dent Health (2004) 21(3):299-305.

E. Angeles Martínez-Mier, Armando E. Soto-Rojas, Christine M. Buckley, Jorge Margineda, George K. Stookey, Domenick T. Zero. Evaluation of Fluoride Content in Mexican Salt (2004). Salud Publica 46(3):197-198.

Martínez-Mier, EA; Soto-Rojas, AE; Urena-Cirett, JL; Katz, BJ; Stookey, GK; Dunipace, AJ: Dental Fluorosis and Altitude: a Pilot Study (2004). Oral Health Prev Dent 2(1):39-48.

Soto-Rojas, AE; Martínez-Mier, EA; Ureña-Cirett, JL. Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis in Mexico (2004). Pan Am J Pub Health 15(1):9-18.

Eggertsson H, Ferreira-Zandoná AG, Ando M, González-Cabezas C, Fontana M, Martínez-Mier EA, Waskow-Chin JR, Jackson RD, Eckert GJ, Stookey GK, Zero DT: Reproducibility of in vitro and clinical examinations with QLF (Quantitative Light-induced Fluorescence). Developing guidelines for imaging and analyzing QLF- images, and a process for training examiners. In: Stookey GK, ed. Early detection of dental caries III: proceedings of the 6th annual Indiana Conference. Indianapolis, Indiana: Indiana University School of Dentistry 2003:213-228.

Martínez-Mier, EA; Soto-Rojas, AE; Ureña-Cirett, JL; Stookey, GK; Dunipace, AJ (2003): Fluoride Intake from Foods, Beverages and dentifrice by Children in Mexico. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. Jun;31(3):221-30.

Martinez-Mier EA, Cury J, Dunipace AJ, Heilman J, Levy SM, Li Y, Maguire A, O'Mullane D, Phantumvanit P, Stookey GK, Wefel JS, Whitford GM, Zero ZT and Zohouri V. Development of Standard Fluoride Analytical Methods: pilot study. Caries Res 2003 37;291.

Everett ET, McHenry MAK, Reynolds N, Eggertsson H, Sullivan J, Kantmann C, Martinez-Mier EA, Warrick JM, Stookey GK. Dental Fluorosis: Variability Among Different Inbred Mouse Strains. J Dental Research 2002;81:794-98.

Jackson, R; Kelly, S.; Katz, B.; Brizendine, E. and Stookey, G. Dental Fluorosis in Children Residing in Communities with Different Water Fluoride Levels- A 33-month Follow-up. Pediatric Dentistry 1999:21:248-254.

Yoder KM, Mabelya L, Robison VA, Dunipace AJ, Brizendine EJ, Stookey GK. Severe dental fluorosis in a Tanzanian population consuming water with negligible fluoride concentration. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1998 26(6):382-93.

Jackson, R.D.; Kelly, S.A.; Katz, B.; Hull, J.R. and Stookey, G.K. Dental Fluorosis and Caries in Prevalence in Children Residing in Communities with Different Levels of Fluoride in the Water. J. Public Health Dent., 1995 55(2):79-84.

Stookey GK. Review of fluorosis risk of self-applied topical fluorides: dentifrices, mouthrinses and gels. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 1994 Jun;22(3):181-6.

Zero DT, Raubertas RF, Fu J, Pedersen AM, Hayes A, Featherstone JDB. Fluoride concentrations in plaque, whole saliva and ductal saliva after application of home-use topical fluorides. J Dent Res 1992:71:1768-1775.

Clark DC, Shulman JD, Maupomé G, Levy SM. Changes in dental fluorosis following the cessation of water fluoridation. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology 2006; 34:197-204.

Vallejos-Sanchez AA, Medina-Solís CE, Casanova-Rosado JF, Maupomé G, Minaya-Sanchez M, Pérez-Olivares S. Dental fluorosis in cohorts born before, during, and after the national salt fluoridation program in a community in Mexico. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. 2006; 64(4):209-13.

Yoder KM, Maupomé G, Ofner S, Swigonski N. Knowledge and use of fluoride among Indiana dental professionals. Journal of Public Health Dentistry 2007; 67(3):140-7.

Vallejos-Sánchez AA, Medina-Solís CE, Casanova-Rosado JF, Maupomé G, Casanova-Rosado AJ, Minaya-Sánchez M. [Enamel defects, caries in primary dentition and fluoride sources: relationship with caries in permanent teeth]. Gaceta Sanitaria. 2007; 21(3):227-34.