Drinking Water Fluoride Levels in Saudi Arabia

Method: Four thousand three hundred and seventeen water samples were obtained from different sources of drinking water  in Saudi Arabia and analyzed for fluoride levels.

Result: It was found that fluoride levels in drinking water varied widely in different parts of the country, being highest in Northern Frontier and Hail where fluoride concentration was above 2.5 ppm in some wells. Fluoride levels were very low in desalinated water and Government water distribution points, being less than 0.14 ppm in most of these sources.

Conclusion: It was recommended that water sources containing less than 0.6 ppm of fluoride should be artificially fluoridated as a caries preventive measure, while water containing more than 1 ppm of fluoride should either be defluoridated, or else the communities provided with alternative sources of drinking water.