Prevalence of dental fluorosis and fluoride content of drinking water in rural areas of Malappuram district, Kerala -

Background: Dental fluorosis which manifests as discoloration of teeth is an aesthetic problem usually encountered. If the intake of fluoride in the formative years is excessive it may lead to dental and skeletal fluorosis. While optimum fluoride is beneficial for the dental tissues affording better caries resistance, the excess intake leads to defective enamel and skeletal development. Aims & Objective: The objective of this study was to detect the fluorosis cases in rural areas of malappuram district in Kerala and correlate this with the level of fluoride in the water used for consumption and decide whether defluoridaton of these water sources are needed. Material and Methods: Cases of fluorosis were detected and water from their drinking sources were collected in sterile plastic containers and fluoride level was estimated by ion selective exchange method. Results: The clinical cases of fluorosis graded from 0.5 to 4 according to Dean’s fluorosis index. Only a few samples showed the presence of fluoride and that too in trace amounts. Conclusion: The results of our study fail to show an association between the clinically evident dental fluorosis and the fluoride levels in the drinking water sources. This does not negate the well proven fact the fluorosis is caused by intake of fluoride in excess amounts during the formative years. We conclude that the excess intake must have been due to supplementation from dietary sources, toothpastes or from any other sources. It may also be due to the air borne fluorides or defective fluoride metabolism due to any drug intake.