DENTAL ENAMEL OPACITIES IN 3 GROUPS WITH VARYING LEVELS OF FLUORIDE IN THEIR DRINKING-WATER

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of enamel defects in three groups with different levels of fluoride in their water supplies. These data, collected using a reproducible method, will form the baseline for ongoing studies on the prevalence of enamel defects. The overall prevalance of enamel defects was similar in all three groups. However, for individual categories of defects differences were found. The prevalence of demarcated opacities was highest in the group with the lowest level of fluoride in the drinking water. The prevalence of hypomineralised enamel defects (TF index) increased with increasing levels of fluoride in the drinking water. However, the number of teeth affected by these enamel defects and their severity did not follow the dose-response relationship expected from the fluoride levels in the drinking water. Associations between both the frequency of tooth brushing and the age tooth brushing was commenced and hypomineralised enamel defects were identified.