Introduction:
High fluoride concentration in groundwater can result in endemic fluorosis and is a major public health problem in India.
Aim:
To know the association between prevalence of dental fluorosis and dental caries and fluoride level in the water in urban Vadodara.
Methodology:
An analytical ecological cross-sectional study was conducted in 4 zones of Vadodara district. Thirty-eight water samples were sent to Gujarat Ecology Society in Vadodara for chemical analysis to test fluoride levels. The data collection was made by house-to-house visit twice during the study involving 2,609 participant interviews. These participants included 449 children belonging to the age group of <15 years. Examination for dental fluorosis and dental caries using Dean's criteria was done. Chi-Square and Mental Hensel Chi-Square were applied for statistical analysis.
Results:
The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 17.36% in high-fluoride areas and 22.46% in normal-fluoride areas among children (<15 years of age). There was no statistically significant association in dental fluorosis between high-fluoride areas and normal-fluoride areas (P = 0.2533). The prevalence of dental caries was 29.26% in high-fluoride areas and 75.36% in normal-fluoride areas. There was a statistically significant association in dental caries between high-fluoride areas and normal-fluoride areas (P ≤ 0.0001).
Conclusions:
The risk of dental caries was clearly higher in the areas showing normal-fluoride content compared to places with high fluoride levels in drinking water. The risk of dental fluorosis was higher in area with high-fluoride level but the difference was not statistically significant.