Mr Kwesi Brown, Upper East Regional Director of the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has said the fluoride problem predominant in the Bongo district, culminating in the discolouring of teeth needed commitment to eradicate.
Mr Brown said excessive consumption of water containing fluoride was unhealthy and for the fact that the problem was water related, care was needed to ensure new generations of people from the area do not suffer the same problem.
Mr Brown said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgtatanga and indicated that the Bongo district was to benefit from a Sustainable Small Town Rural Water Supply System project jointly funded by the World Bank and the Ghana government.
Under the project the district is expected to benefit from a number of mechanized boreholes with hydrological works far advanced for major works to commence.
Dr Kenneth Pelig-Ba, a researcher and lecturer at the University for Development Studies, Navrongo campus, who had researched into water in the area, indicated that excessive fluoride intake over time could cause elongation of bones, bone fractures in adults, which may result in pain.
He said the issue of fluorosis prevalent in the Bongo district could be reduced if government committed resources to dislodge it.
Mr Cletus Nyaaba, Community Oral Health Officer at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital who also spoke to the Ghana News Agency said the effects of fluoride apart from discolouring of the teeth also brought other social problems.
He indicated that people who had discoloured teeth tend to shy away from social gatherings, making socialization difficult and more complicated, especially when one loses some teeth, because that could cause speech defect.
Mr Nyaaba said teeth affected by excessive consumption of fluoride could not be changed by brushing, and added that the teeth were important in all aspects of life. He therefore advised members of the public to take good care of their teeth, and said they should avoid using the teeth to open bottle tops and cracking compact bones.
He said this could cause cracks in the teeth and lead to severe pain and extraction of the teeth.
On how regular people visited the dental clinic to examine their teeth, Mr Nyaaba said patronage was low and advised members of the public to observe oral health by brushing their teeth twice daily for five minutes and visit the dentist at least twice in a year.
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