An epidemiologic study evaluates the rate of dental caries and tooth abscesses among children living in communities within a metropolitan area. Investigators discover that the rate is high among children living in an upper-middle-class community but low in children living in a community below the poverty level. The levels of trace elements in the water supplies for those communities are measured. A higher level of which of the following minerals in the water is most likely to be associated with a lower rate of dental decay among the children living in the poor community?
Water in some areas naturally contains fluoride, and dental problems in children are fewer in these areas because tooth enamel is strengthened. Fluoride can be added to drinking water, but opposition to this practice, from ignorance or fear, is common. Copper deficiency can produce neurologic defects. Iodine deficiency can predispose to thyroid goiter. Selenium is a trace mineral that forms a component of glutathione peroxidase; deficiency may be associated with myopathy and heart disease. Serious illnesses from trace element deficiencies are rare. Zinc is a trace mineral that aids in wound healing; a deficiency state can lead to stunted growth in children and a vesicular, erythematous rash.
Copper
Fluoride
Iodine
Selenium
Environment & Nutritional Pathology