Dental fluorosis is a chronic fluorosis manifestation characterized by tooth discoloration and structural abnormalities, resulting from excessive fluoride intake through respiratory and digestive systems during tooth development. This exposure inhibits ameloblast differentiation and disrupts enamel crystal formation and mineralization processes. While the exact pathogenesis remains unclear, this review systematically examines recent underlying mechanisms of dental fluorosis in the past five years, focusing on endoplasmic reticulum stress, Ca 2+ homeostasis imbalance, gene expression abnormalities, autophagy dysregulation, and microRNA-mediated regulatory pathways, in order to gain a deeper understanding of its pathogenesis at the molecular level and provide theoretical basis for prevention and treatment of dental fluorosis.

Dental fluorosis is a chronic fluorosis manifestation characterized by tooth discoloration and structural abnormalities, resulting from excessive fluoride intake through respiratory and digestive systems during tooth development. This exposure inhibits ameloblast differentiation and disrupts enamel crystal formation and mineralization processes. While the exact pathogenesis remains unclear, this review systematically examines recent underlying mechanisms of dental fluorosis in the past five years, focusing on endoplasmic reticulum stress, Ca 2+ homeostasis imbalance, gene expression abnormalities, autophagy dysregulation, and microRNA-mediated regulatory pathways, in order to gain a deeper understanding of its pathogenesis at the molecular level and provide theoretical basis for prevention and treatment of dental fluorosis.