Chemistry International Blank Image
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Chemistry International Blank Image Chemistry International Blank Image Chemistry International Blank Image
Chemistry International Blank Image
Chemistry International Blank Image
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Current Issue
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Past Issues
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Officer's Columns
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Features
Chemistry International Blank Image
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Up for Discussion
Chemistry International Text Image Link to IUPAC Wire
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Project Place
Chemistry International Text Image Link to imPACt
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Bookworm
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Internet Connections
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Conference Call
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Where 2B and Y
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Symposia
Chemistry International Text Image Link to CI Indexes
Chemistry International Text Image Link to CI Editor
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Search Function
Chemistry International Text Image Link to Information

 

Chemistry International Text Image Link to Previous Issue Chemistry International Text Image Link to Previous Page Chemistry International Text Image Link to This TOC Chemistry International Text Image Link to Next Page Chemistry International Text Image Link to Next Issue

Vol. 29 No. 6
November-December 2007

Stamps International |

See also www.iupac.org/publications/ci/indexes/stamps.html


For a Healthy Smile . . .

The addition of fluoride to drinking water supplies, at a level of ca. 1 ppm, is a health practice prevalent in communities across the USA and other countries that has undoubtedly contributed to the reduction of tooth decay in the general public since its inception in the 1940s. Even though water fluoridation is not universal, fluoride is also often added in small amounts (ca. 0.5%) to toothpastes and other oral hygiene products and thus its beneficial effect does reach a large segment of the population.

The stamp from Iceland that accompanies this note was issued on 9 October 1987 to promote oral hygiene and shows a girl brushing her teeth with a fluoride-containing toothpaste before going to sleep, a pretty clear message about the importance of such practice. On the other hand, the Brazilian stamp was issued on 15 July 1977 to celebrate the 3rd International Congress of Odontology, held in Rio de Janeiro on 15–21 July of that year. It prominently displays a rod of Asclepius, the emblem of the medical profession. The Portuguese words for water and fluorine (agua and fluor, respectively) and the chemical formulas of water and sodium fluoride appear several times in the background, thereby underscoring the value of water fluoridation to prevent dental caries. Sodium fluoride, together with stannous fluoride (SnF2) and sodium monofluorophosphate (Na2PO3F), are the three most common sources of fluoride currently added to toothpaste formulations.

Written by Daniel Rabinovich <[email protected]>.


Page last modified 20 November 2007.
Copyright © 2003-2007 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Questions regarding the website, please contact [email protected]
Link to CI Home Page Link to IUPAC E-News Link to IUPAC Home Page