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Volume 4 Issue 3 (May - June, 2016)

Original Articles

EFFECT OF FLUORIDE CONTENT OF DRINKING WATER ON DENTAL FLUOROSIS IN THE PUNJAB STATE
R.P.S. Chahal, P.P.K. Chahal

Background: Fluoride content of drinking water of South-Western district of the Punjab state has been reported which varied from 0.28 to 14.04 mg/l with a mean value of 5.15 mg/l. The survey was, therefore, conducted to assess the magnitude of dental fluorosis in some villages of Bhatinda district of the Punjab state. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in districts of Punjab state, with high fluoride level in drinking water. The data collection was made by house-to-house visits twice during the study period. Results: The adult residents of these villages use drinking water high in fluoride content which may be the primary cause of dental fluorosis. During examination of the teeth of adults residents of these areas, it was observed that 61.06% of the residents of the high fluoride and 48.32% areas were suffering from dental fluorosis. Conclusion: Risk of dental fluorosis was significantly higher in the areas showing more fluoride content in drinking water. Defluoridation of drinking water is the only remedy to save the local population from dental fluorosis.
Key words: Dental fluorosis, defluoridation, drinking water.

 
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