Recent research has raised concerns about the potential impact of prenatal fluoride exposure on child neurobehavioral development. A study published in JAMA Network Open with 229 mother-child pairs from Los Angeles, California sought to explore this association.
The study included mothers with an average age of 29.45 years, and the children were nearly evenly split between females and males. Researchers measured urinary fluoride specific gravity (MUFSG) to estimate fluoride exposure. The median MUFSG was found to be 0.76 mg/L, reflecting typical fluoride exposure levels in fluoridated communities.
The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used to evaluate the children's neurobehavioral outcomes. CBCL scores are standardized, with higher scores indicating greater neuro problems. Approximately 14.0% of the children had Total Problems T scores in the borderline clinical or clinical range, while 15.3% had Internalizing Problems T scores and 10.0% had Externalizing Problems T scores in the same range.
The study identified several significant associations between MUFSG levels and neurobehavioral outcomes. A 0.68 mg/L increase in MUFSG was linked to nearly double the odds of a child having a Total Problems T score in the borderline clinical or clinical range. Additionally, this increase in MUFSG was associated with a 2.29-point rise in Internalizing Problems T scores and a 2.14-point rise in Total Problems T scores.
These findings indicate that higher prenatal fluoride exposure is linked to increased symptoms of emotional reactivity, anxiety, somatic complaints, and autism spectrum problems by age three.
“There is no known benefit of fluoride consumption to the developing fetus, but we do know that there is possibly a risk to their developing brain.” Ashley Malin, PhD., one of the authors told Neuroscience News.
This study adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that prenatal fluoride exposure may have adverse effects on child neurobehavioral development. Given that the prenatal period is critical for brain development, minimizing fluoride exposure from all sources could be a prudent measure to protect fetal brain health.
Sources: JAMA Network Open, Neuroscience News
