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Mineral

Fluoride

Fluoride is the ionic form of the element fluorine, found in drinking water, tea and seafood. The body builds it into tooth enamel and bone.

Bone & Joint

What are the current European safety values?

In 2025, EFSA set a safe intake level of 3.3 mg daily for people over eight, including pregnancy. For younger children, upper limits are 1 mg under one year, 1.6 mg at ages one to three and 2 mg at ages four to eight. These apply to total swallowed fluoride, not a supplement allowance. 1

What happens with excess exposure?

Too much swallowed fluoride while teeth develop can cause dental fluorosis, changes in enamel appearance that can be more severe at higher exposures. EFSA’s assessment concerns ingestion, including swallowed toothpaste, rather than correct surface use alone. 1 2

What does the brain-development evidence show?

EFSA found concerns about effects on the developing nervous system at drinking-water fluoride concentrations above 1.5 mg/L. Below that concentration, evidence was inconsistent and insufficient for clear conclusions. Its 2025 intake values account for these concerns; they are not evidence that all fluoride exposures carry the same risk. 1

For information, not individual medical advice. Ingredient studies do not establish the effectiveness of these products.

Sources

  1. Fluoride safety: updated intake levels for all ages European Food Safety Authority, 2025
  2. Fluoride: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals NIH Office of Dietary Supplements