What is dental fluorosis?
- Dental fluorosis is a tooth defect that is caused by excessive intake of fluorides in the drinking water.
- Although the permanent teeth are affected, occasionally even the primary teeth may be involved.
What are the symptoms?
- It is easy to recognize dental fluorosis.
- Initially there may be a few white flecks or small pits on the enamel of the teeth.
- Later there may be brown stains. Dental fluorosis and dental caries seem to go hand in hand.
What is the cause?
- Dental fluorosis occurs in children who are exposed to a high intake of fluoride before the teeth fully mineralise, that is before 12-14 years of age.
- In one district of Kerala, nearly 40% of school children were found to have fluorosis.
- The disease is more prevalent in rural areas where drinking water is derived from shallow wells or hand pumps.
- The disease is more likely to occur in areas where the drinking water has a fluoride content of more than 1ppm (part per million), and in children who have a poor intake of calcium.
How can it be prevented?
- The only effective public health measure is to limit the fluoride content of drinking water to below 0.5 ppm (parts per million), by using deep bore drinking water supplies.
- An adequate daily intake of calcium is also protective.
