A exposição pré e pós-natal ao flúor sistêmico pode prejudicar o desenvolvimento neurológico e cognitivo de crianças? Revisão integrativa da literatura

Abstract

Fluoride is widely used in dentistry due to its potential anticariogenic action, so that fluoridation of drinking water is of great importance in combating caries disease, as well as being effective in controlling its progression. Despite this, the accumulation of fluoride in the human body has been linked to neurotoxic effects, especially in children and adolescents, and also has the potential to cross the placenta through accumulation in the maternal body, influencing fetal development. Effects such as reduced Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and cognitive deficit, among other cognitive alterations have been associated with early exposure to fluoride. Thus, this review aimed to answer the following question: Can pre- and postnatal exposure to systemic fluoride impair the neurological and cognitive development of children? A search was carried out for scientific publications indexed in Publical Medical (PubMed) on the subject in the last decade. The search resulted in 161 articles, of which 30 were selected for full-text reading after screening their titles and abstracts. After reading the full texts, 18 articles were excluded because they did not meet the eligibility criteria. Thus, 12 scientific articles were selected for analysis in this review. Several pieces of information were found on the neurotoxic effects of fluoride in the indexed scientific publications; however, it was possible to observe the need for further studies to elucidate the mechanism of how such adverse effects occur.