Fluoride content determination in commercial teas in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Azhar, Muhammad Mujahid, Muhammad Asri, Zuhair, Ardini, Yunita Dewi, Lestari, Widya, Kusumawardani, Anisa
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: RK318 Oral and Dental Medicine. Pathology. Diseases-Therapeutics-General Works
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/63827/1/7thDSSC%20E-Book.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/63827/
• Institution: Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia

Introduction: Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after plain water. Tea plants absorb fluoride from soil and store it mostly in the leaf. Thus, tea drink may contain considerable amount of fluoride. However, there is lack of research about this especially for the tea available in Malaysia. The aim of this study is to determine the fluoride content in commercial teas available in Malaysia. Material and methods: Experimental study was conducted on some of the commercial infusion teas available in the supermarket in Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 106 samples of tea have been prepared. The fluoride content in the teas was determined by using spectrophotometry. One-way ANOVA has been used to compare between three groups and independent T-test has been used to compare between two groups. Results: All 106 tea samples were proven to contain fluoride. Fluoride content of each teas are different ranging from as low as 0.01 mg/L to as high as 1.08 mg/L. Using One Way ANOVA, there is significant difference in terms of fluoride content for the three types of tea (P=0.028 < 0.05). Among the groups of tea, black tea shows higher fluoride content compared to green tea (P=0.033 < 0.05). Conclusion: Fluoride is present in commercial teas in Malaysia. This study can provide beneficial information regarding fluoride content in tea to the consumers especially in Malaysia. Further research can be made to compare the fluoride content in tea in different brewing time and different types of tea packaging.