Abstract

Fluorosis resulting from high fluoride concentration in drinking water is a major public health problem in India. This study was carried out to measure and compare the prevalence of dental fluorosis in primary school children in selected areas of Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts of Tamil Nadu, India. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1327 native primary school students (752 boys and 575 girls), aged 5-10 years belonging to different communities. Data was collected by using a questionnaire followed by an intraoral examination to ascertain fluorosis and its grades of severity using Dean's index. In Nagapattinam district, 61.4 % of school children using ground water as the source of drinking water showed the prevalence of dental fluorosis whereas, in Cuddalore district, 62.0 % of school children were affected with fluorosis. Among the municipal water users, 59.4 % of school children were affected with dental fluorosis in Nagapattinam district while it was nearly 57.7 % in Cuddalore district. The severity of dental fluorosis among the school children with the source of drinking water was found to be not significant thereby showing a strong association of dental fluorosis with the fluoride content of water rather than its sources. Similarly, the number of children affected with dental fluorosis increased with an increase in the age-groups of children. However, gender wise comparison of prevalence of dental fluorosis showed no statistical difference between boys and girls but showed identical prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in both the sexes. The drinking water samples from the selected areas were collected and the fluoride level was estimated using Alizarin visual method.

Keywords

Alizarin visual method, Intraoral, Dean's index, Dental fluorosis.

Received on 10/10/2016, Accepted on 25/10/2016, Published on 31/10/2016