Fluoride prevents tooth decay as an additive in oral hygiene products, while high dose intake of fluoride from contaminated drinking water leads to fluorosis. Here we studied the effect of fluoride ion on the stability of DNA double helix using magnetic tweezers. The equilibrium critical force decreases with increasing concentration of fluoride in the range from 1 mM to 100 mM. Our results give the first quantitative measurement of DNA stability in the presence of fluoride ion, which might disturb DNA-related biological processes to cause fluorosis. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.