ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S SERUM FLUORIDE LEVELS IN RELATION

ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S SERUM FLUORIDE LEVELS IN RELATION
TO INTELLIGENCE SCORES IN A HIGH AND LOW FLUORIDE WATER
VILLAGE IN CHINA
Quanyong Xiang,a,b Youxin Liang,c Bingheng Chen,c Liansheng Chenb
Nanjing and Shanghai, PR China
SUMMARY: As part of a 2002-2003 investigation on the effects of high fluoride
drinking water on IQ scores of children, serum fluoride (F) levels in the children were
subjected to further study. Among the new findings, although IQ scores of boys and
girls differed in the seven IQ level categories, there were no overall gender
differences (boy/girl ratio 1.220 vs. 1.214 in the high and low F villages, respectively).
However, the mean IQ was significantly higher and there were fewer children with an
IQ less than 80 in the two quartiles with a serum fluoride level of less than 0.05 mg F/
L. Analysis of the overall relationship between IQ scores and serum F levels indicates
there may be no serum F level below which adverse effects on IQ might not be
present..........................