Fluoride-induced early teeth wearing in Argentinian cattle.

The relationship between observed early teeth wearing in cattle and the existence of large areas where excess fluoride in underground water prevails in Argentina, but has never been studied. Average values of bone fluoride exceeding 5000 ppm and well water containing up to 10.5 ppm of this element were found in a farm (ETWF) where early teeth wearing is observed, while in a control farm (NETWF), those values were 1480 ppm and 3.0 ppm respectively. Urine samples from animals from the ETWF contained almost 4 times more fluoride than those from the latter. Forage in both farms contained about the same levels of fluoride (15 to 25 ppm). None of the farms was exposed to industrial, volcanic, or geothermal activity. Lactating and adult animals were transferred from one farm to the other. After 30 months, adult animals from the NETWF showed no damage in teeth, while adults from the ETWF continued a rapid teeth wearing. Young animals from the NETWF developed severely damaged permanent teeth, while young animals from the ETWF developed normal teeth. We concluded that the problem exists in the ETWF and being a standard farm, the condition could be extrapolated to other areas.