Sodium fluoride is a salt of sodium and fluorine. It occurs in nature as a rare mineral called fluorspar.

Fluoride salts form during uranium mining or processing because they are unintentionally generated by dissolved soluble minerals containing uranium or fluorine such as fluorite.

The primary use is as an additive to toothpaste and other oral care preparations such as mouthwash and dental varnishes against caries (cavities, tooth decay). It decreases the tendency of teeth to decay.

It can also preserve food, poultry feed supplementation, anti-scaling, acid treatment, research applications, semiconductor production.

• Applications of Sodium Fluoride include anti-cavity fluoride treatments in toothpaste, kitchen cleaners, etc., water fluoridation, medical applications such as reducing the risk for tooth decay or caries in children. 
• Sodium fluoridation of drinking water is used extensively as a community-based dental caries prevention technique to produce an ongoing preventive effect on the population.
• It has been used for decades to degrease metals in various industrial processes. It is one of the most commonly used etchants for integrated circuit fabrication of microchips and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
• It is used in semiconductor production. The removal of metal corrosion products from the semiconductor wafer surface does not affect semiconductor properties or performance.