Fluoride intake and alveolar bone loss in periodontal disease‐susceptible mice

The ability of a high F intake to inhibit alveolar bone loss was assessed over a period of one year in strain STR/N mice. This strain is susceptible to periodontal disease in the absence of dietary or traumatic stimuli, with progressive alveolar bone loss beginning in adulthood. Despite a very high bone F level, alveolar bone loss was not significantly different from that occurring in mice of the same strain with a low F intake. The resistance of alveolar bone to destruction does not appear to be a major factor in the progression of periodontal disease.