Magister Chirurgiae Dentium (MChD) / A total of 25 third molar teeth (erupted [9], as well as unerupted [16]), from subjects who had lived continuously since birth in an area where the water fluoride concentration was more than 1,8 ppm, were studied. (The range was 1,8 ppm - 2,64 ppm of F-). The subjects had no systemic fluoride supplementation. Tooth brushing with a fluoride containing dentifrice and, perhaps, occasional fluoride mouth rinsing was the only additional exposure to fluoride. The acid-etch biopsy technique was used to determine the fluoride and calcium concentrations at various depths on the enamel surface. The fluoride concentration of the buffered etch solution was determined with an adapted fluoride ion-selective electrode technique, and the amount of calcium by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Six consecutive etchings were done on the mesio-buccal and mesio-lingual cusps of each tooth; the teeth were then washed in an alkali and the same procedure repeated on the disto-buccal and disto-lingual cusps. The depth of etch of each biopsy was calculated assuming that human enamel contains 37% Ca and has a density of 2,95g/ml. It was previously reported, (Grobler & Joubert, 1988), that the enamel fluoride levels of the mesio-buccal and mesio-Iingual sides did not differ from that of the disto-buccal and disto-Iingual sides. The average etch depth and fluoride concentration value as calculated from the values for the two cusps per tooth were used for statistical analysis. The mean etch depths (pm) and mean enamel fluoride concentrations of alkali-washed and unwashed enamel of both erupted and unerupted teeth were tabled, together with the standard deviations and range for each etch. Contrary to the results obtained from a low F- area, no significant difference (p>O.05) could be found in the etch depth between erupted and unerupted enamel in this study. Graphs were plotted by a line fitted to the mean enamel fluoride concentration and mean etch depths values of unwashed erupted, unwashed unerupted, alkali-washed erupted and alkali-washed unerupted third molar teeth. These graphs were compared to the graphs obtained in a comparable study done by Grobler and Kotze (1990), on erupted and unerupted third molar teeth from a low fluoride area (F- < 0,10 ppm). Results indicate that the enamel fluoride concentration in the bulk of the enamel of teeth from a high fluoride area (> 1,8 ppm), is higher than that of teeth from a low fluoride area « 0,10 ppm ). In contrast to the teeth from a low fluoride area, where there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in the fluoride concentration of the outer layer (± 4 J,lm) of erupted enamel when compared to that of the unerupted enamel, no notable increase in the F- content of the enamel was observed in the present study of teeth from a high fluoride area (p>0,05). There was, in addition, no significant (p>0.05) difference between the enamel fluoride content of alkali-washed and unwashed, erupted and unerupted teeth, which showed that very little CaF 2-like material was gained by the enamel after eruption. In both studies the subjects had brushed with a fluoride dentifrice for a period of 1 - 16 years. It was expected that this topical exposure would increase the surface enamel concentration in the high fluoride area similar to the increase found in the low fluoride area. However, this was not the case, and as all the teeth from the high fluoride area exhibited some degree of fluorosis, it was concluded that posteruptive fluoride uptake by fluorotic human enamel without severe enamel loss is limited. This is in agreement with work done by Richards, Fejerskov, Baelum and Likimani (1989).