Abstract
Objective: Introduction: Prevention of dental diseases in children is the priority item on the modern dentistry agenda. Among the undeniable factors known as contributing into caries incidence, there is fluoride content in the external environment, especially in drinking water, which is the main source of fluoride intake. The aim: This study is aimed at evaluating dental caries indices in children and adolescents inhabiting in areas with optimal and high-level fluoride concentration in drinking water and assessing their level of oral hygiene.
Materials and methods: To explore the caries epidemiology in the regions with optimal and high fluoride content, we examined 315 children aged 6, 12 and 15 who live in the city of Poltava (fluoride content in drinking water is 0.9-1.2 mg / l) and 91 children of the same age residing in the village of a town type Mashivka (fluoride content in drinking water ranges from 1.7 to 2.9 mg / l).
Results: More than half of the 6-year-old children of both groups have decayed teeth. The comparative analysis of the prevalence and intensity of caries in the children aged 12 and 15 years demonstrated a significant increase in the number of individuals diagnosed to have caries with increasing age in both groups.
Conclusions: Our research suggests that, along with the number of other cariogenic factors, fluorosis contributes to a more intense course of caries progression. This situation demands wider health policy measures to support primary and secondary caries prevention and management among the children.