Sodium fluoride

Sodium fluoride (NaF) is an ionic compound made of sodium and fluoride ions. It is used in dental products and water fluoridation to reduce tooth decay.

Water fluoridation: The controlled adjustment of fluoride levels in drinking water to reduce tooth decay across a population. Sodium fluoride is one compound used to supply fluoride to drinking water.
Fluoride: The negatively charged ion F⁻, which forms salts and interacts with tooth minerals. Fluoride ions released from sodium fluoride provide its anticaries action.
Ionic compound: A substance composed of positively and negatively charged ions held together by electrostatic attraction. Sodium fluoride is an ionic solid rather than a discrete molecule.
Sodium fluorosilicate: An inorganic salt, Na₂SiF₆, used as a fluoride source in some water-treatment settings. It is another fluoridation chemical, but its formula and dissolution behavior differ from NaF.
Toothpaste: A paste or gel used with a toothbrush to clean teeth and deliver ingredients that help prevent oral disease. Many toothpastes use sodium fluoride as their source of anticaries fluoride.
Hydroxyapatite: A calcium phosphate mineral that forms the principal inorganic component of tooth enamel and bone. Fluoride can replace hydroxyl groups in enamel hydroxyapatite, changing its resistance to acid.
Sodium: A soft, highly reactive alkali metal with the chemical symbol Na. Sodium forms the positive ion in sodium fluoride.
Sodium monofluorophosphate: An inorganic fluoride-containing salt, Na₂PO₃F, used as an active ingredient in some toothpastes. It supplies fluoride in toothpaste through a chemically distinct phosphate compound.
Fluoride varnish: A concentrated fluoride coating applied to teeth to help prevent or arrest dental caries. Some varnishes use sodium fluoride to deliver a high concentration of fluoride directly to enamel.
Fluorapatite: A calcium phosphate mineral in which fluoride occupies sites otherwise occupied by hydroxyl groups. Fluoride promotes formation of a less acid-soluble mineral phase at the tooth surface.

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