Aim: Comparative study of the growth inhibition by different types of fluoride compounds used in dentistry has been limited. We investigated the effects of sodium fluoride (NaF), diammine silver fluoride [Ag(NH3)(2)F] and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on the growth of eleven human normal and tumor cells in total. Materials and Methods: Viable cell number was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis induction was evaluated by caspase-3 activation and DNA fragmentation. Fluoride was determined using a fluoride-specific electrode. Results: All compounds had little or no growth stimulating effect (hormesis) on all cells. Ag(NH3)(2)F exhibited the highest cytotoxicity towards both normal and tumor cells. 5-FU had the selective cytostatic activity towards oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, whereas NaF was selectively cytotoxic towards glioblastoma cell lines. None of the compounds induced internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and only 5-FU induced slight activation of caspase-3 in an oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line (HSC-2). Cytotoxicity of fluoride compounds was not reduced by superoxide dismutase and catalase, reducing the possibility of the involvement of reactive oxygen species in the mechanism of action. Approximately 0.01-0.09% initially added NaF was recovered from the cells, whereas the cellular uptake of Ag(NH3)(2)F and 5-FU was below the detection limit. Conclusion: Cytotoxicity of fluoride compounds may not be directly linked to their tumor specificity nor to their apoptosis-inducing activity.