Sodium Fluoride in the Treatment of Osteoporosis and Other Bone Diseases

Excerpt

In a study of workers exposed to cryolite (sodium aluminum fluoride) dust for many years, Roholm (1) found that some had severe chronic skeletal fluorosis but that in a greater number there was radiologic evidence of osteosclerosis which was not associated with symptoms. This observation led Rich and Ensinck (2) to administer sodium fluoride to patients with rarefying disorders of the skeleton in the belief that the production of a mild degree of asymptomatic osteosclerosis would strengthen the bone. Since then, several investigators have reported their experiences with sodium fluoride therapy in patients with osteoporosis (3-5), osteitis deformans (3, 6,