Abstract

A cross-sectional survey of 18,621 adults of both sexes living in rural tribal areas of the Dungarpur and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan, India was conducted to correlate the prevalence of osteo-dental fluorosis with nutritional status, living habits, and occupation. The mean fluoride (F) concentration in drinking water sources ranged from 1.0 to 6.1 ppm. Among subjects with poor nutrition, the prevalence of dental fluorosis rose to 61.6% and skeletal fluorosis to 23.9%. A high incidence of fluorosis was also observed in subjects using substances such as alcohol, betel nuts, citrus fruits, edible ghee or fat, tea, and tobacco. The highest incidence of dental (90.1%) and skeletal ( 60.8%) fluorosis was observed in alcohol or beverage users and the lowest (30.8% an d 8.9%) in the citrus fruits users, respectively. Subjects with different occupations exhibited a variable incidence of dental and skeletal fluorosis. Labourers showed the highest incidence of dental and skeletal fluorosis (63.1% and 26.2%), followed by farmers (61.2% and 21.8%), housewives (57.1% and 13.2%), businessmen (54.2% and 14.4%), students (54.2% and 9.5%), and servicemen (51.5% and 15.9% ), respectively. These data pertaining to the relationship of osteo-dental fluorosis with nutritional status, living habits, and occupation were statistically analysed and found to exhibit highly positive correlations. Possible causes for differences in the incidence of fluorosis in relation to nutritional status, habits , and occupation are discussed.

• Related Studies :

  • Epidemiological, clinical, and biochemical study of endemic dental and skeletal fluorosis in Punjab

    The incidence of dental fluorosis in 46,000 children in the Punjab was assessed and compared with the fluoride content of their water supplies. Ten villages were selected for more detailed studies of skeletal as well as dental fluorosis. Factors other than the fluoride content of the drinking water which were found to influence

  • Skeletal fluorosis: an unusual metabolic bone complication for HPN patients

    Rationale: Prevalence and pathophysiology of HPN-associated metabolic bone disease (MBD) xe patially unknown. Therefore, we began a systematic review of 0ur patients in order to increase our knowledge in this paticular field. Here, we report two cases of skeletal fluorosis, an unusual HPN-related bone abnormality. Method: Until now, 12 patients (6

  • Association of dental and skeletal fluorosis with calcium intake and vitamin D concentrations in adolescents from a region endemic for fluorosis

    Objective: Patan, is a semi urban area in Gujarat, India where fluorosis is endemic (Fluoride concentration in ground water 1.96–10.85 ppm, Patel et al., 2008). Exposure to fluoride is likely to be higher in lower socio-economic class (SEC) due to lack of access to bottled water. Calcium intake and vitamin

  • Severe bone deformities in young children from vitamin D deficiency and fluorosis in Bihar-India

    A case-control study was undertaken to understand the etiopathology of the bone deformities among young children in a fluoride-affected village of the Bihar State. Two villages were selected: one village with high fluoride in drinking water (7.9 +/- 4.15 ppm), and the other village with normal levels of fluoride (0.6

  • Comparison of two village primary schools in northern Tanzania affected by fluorosis

    High fluoride levels in drinking water sources are a problem throughout the East African Rift Valley and can lead to dental fluorosis (DF) and skeletal fluorosis (SF) in exposed local populations. Two villages in the Hai District of northern Tanzania in which fluoride has been identified as a problem were

• Related FAN Content :

  • Skeletal Fluorosis: The Misdiagnosis Problem

    It is a virtual certainty that there are individuals in the general population unknowingly suffering from some form of skeletal fluorosis as a result of a doctor's failure to consider fluoride as a cause of their symptoms. Proof that this is the case can be found in the following case reports of skeletal fluorosis written by doctors in the U.S. and other western countries. As can be seen, a consistent feature of these reports is that fluorosis patients--even those with crippling skeletal fluorosis--are misdiagnosed for years by multiple teams of doctors who routinely fail to consider fluoride as a possible cause of their disease.

  • Skeletal Fluorosis & Individual Variability

    One of the common fallacies in the research on skeletal fluorosis is the notion that there is a uniform level of fluoride that is safe for everyone in the population. These "safety thresholds" have been expressed in terms of (a) bone fluoride content, (b) daily dose, (c) water fluoride level, (d) urinary fluoride level, and (e) blood fluoride level. The central fallacy with each of these alleged safety thresholds, however, is that they ignore the wide range of individual susceptibility in how people respond to toxic substances, including fluoride.

  • Nutrient Deficiencies Enhance Fluoride Toxicity

    It has been known since the 1930s that poor nutrition enhances the toxicity of fluoride. As discussed below, nutrient deficiencies have been specifically linked to increased susceptibility to fluoride-induced tooth damage (dental fluorosis), bone damage (osteomalacia), neurotoxicity (reduced intelligence), and mutagenicity. The nutrients of primary importance appear to be calcium,

  • "Pre-Skeletal" Fluorosis

    As demonstrated by the studies below, skeletal fluorosis may produce adverse symptoms, including arthritic pains, clinical osteoarthritis, gastrointestinal disturbances, and bone fragility, before the classic bone change of fluorosis (i.e., osteosclerosis in the spine and pelvis) is detectable by x-ray. Relying on x-rays, therefore, to diagnosis skeletal fluorosis will invariably fail to protect those individuals who are suffering from the pre-skeletal phase of the disease. Moreover, some individuals with clinical skeletal fluorosis will not develop an increase in bone density, let alone osteosclerosis, of the spine. Thus, relying on unusual increases in spinal bone density will under-detect the rate of skeletal fluoride poisoning in a population.

  • Factors which increase the risk for skeletal fluorosis

    The risk for developing skeletal fluorosis, and the course the disease will take, is not solely dependent on the dose of fluoride ingested. Indeed, people exposed to similar doses of fluoride may experience markedly different effects. While the wide range in individual response to fluoride is not yet fully understood, the following are some of the factors that are believed to play a role.