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The topic of my current research is ” Camellia sinensis- the future in prevention of dental caries.”

Problem Statement: Many communities in the United States do not have access to fluoridated water and its associated cavity prevention benefits.  It is therefore important to identify alternative sources of fluoride.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the fluoride levels in black, green and iced teas (Camellia sinensis) in the United States.

Methods: This study utilized a single unit fluoride ion specific meter (Extech FL700) to measure the fluoride ion concentrations of 21 different brands of black, green, and iced teas.  A single brand of herbal tea (Camomile tea) was also measured as a control.  The teas were purchased in the five boroughs of New York City.  Three random samples from each box or bottle of tea were chosen and three measurements were performed on each sample (for a total of nine measurements per tea).  The brewed tea samples were prepared by boiling the tea bags in 250 ml of distilled water at 100⁰ C for three minutes. Then, each sample was cooled to 23⁰ +/- 2⁰ C, diluted with a total ionic strength adjustment buffer (TISAB 2) and analyzed for fluoride ion content.

Results:  Fluoride ion levels varied between 0.0 ppm and 3.6 ppm. Black tea contained the highest fluoride levels ranging from 1.6 ppm to 3.6 ppm.  Green teas and iced teas contained lower levels of fluoride, ranging from 0.6 ppm to 1.6 ppm. Herbal tea had no detectable fluoride ion content.

Conclusions:  The measured levels of fluoride indicate that a person greater than 9 years of age could consume the CDC’s recommended daily amount of fluoride by drinking as little as 500 – 600 ml of tea (for the black tea with 3.6 ppm of fluoride).  Higher volumes of tea would be required for teas with lower concentrations of fluoride.  Based on these calculations, tea can be considered a viable source of fluoride ion for the prevention of dental caries.  It may thus be valuable to increase public awareness of this potential benefit of drinking tea and to list the fluoride ion content of teas on their packages.