Sodium fluoride in otosclerosis treatment: review.

OBJECTIVES

To review the current literature on the use of sodium fluoride in the treatment of otosclerosis.

DESIGN

A literature review was conducted, searching the Medline and PubMed database from 1966 to 2009, using the terms 'otosclerosis' and 'fluoride'. Article abstracts were reviewed and relevant full articles acquired.

RESULTS

There has been only one double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the use of sodium fluoride in otosclerosis patients, and this found a reduced incidence of deterioration in hearing after two years in the treatment group. Several case-control series have described a hearing benefit in the sodium fluoride treated group. Treatment doses vary greatly, and there is no evidence regarding the optimum duration of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

There is low quality evidence suggesting that sodium fluoride may be of benefit to preserve hearing and reduce vestibular symptoms in patients with otosclerosis.