SynthesisScientific reports2021
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between fluoride exposure and neurological disorders.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
- Fluoride and Neurodevelopmental Hazard Modelling: An Assessment of Concentration-Response Analysis.Community dentistry and oral epidemiology · 2026Pooled it
- Fluoride Exposure and Children's IQ Scores: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Is there any association between fluoride exposure and thyroid function modulation? A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Fluoride Exposure and ADHD: A Systematic Review of Epidemiological Studies.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Pooled it
- The Relationship between Fluoride Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes from Gestation to Adulthood-A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Water Fluoridation Risks or Benefits: Summary of the Symposium Presented During the Enamel 11 Meeting Held in Paris France.Calcified tissue international · 2026Article
- Grape Seed Proanthocyanins Extract Ameliorates the Neurotoxicity Induced by Fluoride Through mTOR/p70s6k Signaling Pathway in Vivo and in Vitro.Cell biochemistry and biophysics · 2026Article
- Fluoride and the brain: A systematic review of neurotoxicity and developmental risks.Genetics and molecular biology · 2026Article
- Pro- and Antifluoride Use Messages on YouTube in Japan: Content Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Article
- Management strategies for fluoride toxicity and the critical role of epigenetic therapy.Molecular biology reports · 2025Review
- A Review of the Evidence of the Toxicity of Chemical Substances Included in the European Union Ambient Air Quality and Drinking Water Directives: Perspectives for Health Impact Assessments.Environment & health (Washington, D.C.) · 2025Review
- The Remineralizing and Desensitizing Potential of Hydroxyapatite in Dentistry: A Narrative Review of Recent Clinical Evidence.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2025Review
- Dose-dependent developmental fluoride exposure leads to neurotoxicity and impairs excitatory synapse development.Archives of toxicology · 2025Article
- Assessment of Trends in Non-Restorative and Preventative Dental Treatment Pre- and Post-COVID-19: A Health Informatics Pilot Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Correlation of fluoride intake with haemoglobin level and intelligence quotient in 8-12 year aged children: an observational study from India.BMC public health · 2025Observational
- Single-cell RNA sequencing uncovers intestinal immune alterations and cellular diversity from chronic fluoride exposure in mice.Theranostics · 2025Article
- AMPA and NMDA Receptors in Hippocampus of Rats with Fluoride-Induced Cognitive Decline.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Community Water Fluoridation in Focus: A Comprehensive Look at Fluoridation Levels across America.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Prolonged exposure to high fluoride levels during adolescence to adulthood elicits molecular, morphological, and functional impairments in the hippocampus.Scientific reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Different studies have suggested that fluoride is related to neurological disorders in children and adolescents, but clinical evidences of which neurological parameters associated to fluoride exposure are, in fact, still controversial. In this way, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to show if there is an association between fluoride exposure from different sources, doses and neurological disorders. Terms related to "Humans"; "Central nervous system"; "Fluorides"; and "Neurologic manifestations" were searched in a systematic way on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Lilacs, Cochrane and Google Scholar. All studies performed on humans exposed to fluoride were included on the final assessment. A meta-analysis was then performed and the quality level of evidence was performed using the GRADE approach. Our search retrieved 4,024 studies, among which 27 fulfilled the eligibility criteria. The main source of fluoride was naturally fluoridated water. Twenty-six studies showed alterations related to Intelligence Quotient (IQ) while only one has evaluated headache, insomnia, lethargy, polydipsia and polyuria. Ten studies were included on the meta-analysis, which showed IQ impairment only for individuals under high fluoride exposure considering the World Health Organization criteria, without evidences of association between low levels and any neurological disorder. However, the high heterogeneity observed compromise the final conclusions obtained by the quantitative analyses regarding such high levels. Furthermore, this association was classified as very low-level evidence. At this time, the current evidence does not allow us to state that fluoride is associated with neurological damage, indicating the need for new epidemiological studies that could provide further evidences regarding this possible association.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.