Dental caries and dental fluorosis in Thailand.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
During a recent nutrition study in Thailand, 4058 males and females were examined for dental caries and fluorosis. Water samples from examination sites and pooled urine samples from examinees in many areas were collected for fluoride analysis. Dental caries was practically non-existent in the younger age groups; mean DMF (decayed, missing, filled) of 0.1 for males and 0.2 for females, ages 5-9. There was a mean DMF of less than 1 tooth for all military males 20 years and over; 9.2 for civilian males and 8.1 for females 45 years and over. Dental fluorosis occurred throughout Thailand and was most prevalent in the north. Of those examined, 76.43% military males from the northeast and 5.89% in the southern regions had fluorosis. Fluoride levels in the drinking water ranged from 0.0 to 0.8 ppm.; in the pooled urine samples, 0.79 to 2.92 ppm. These low levels of fluorides in the water do not seem sufficient to explain the low prevalence of dental caries, high prevalence of clinical fluorosis (many cases in the severe classification), and high output of urinary fluorides. These findings strongly suggest an alternate source of fluoride other than that found in the drinking water and indicate the need for additional investigative work in the dietary intake of fluoride and its metabolism.

This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit: