Abstract:
Objective To investigate the operation of water improvement projects, water fluoride concentration, and the prevalence rates of dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis in children aged 8-12 years in the regions with drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis in Shanxi province of China in 2019, as well as the difference in the prevalence rate of dental fluorosis across villages with different levels of water fluoride, and to provide a scientific basis for precise optimization of prevention and treatment strategies.
Methods According to Surveillance Scheme for Drinking Water-borne Endemic Fluorosis in Shanxi Province, investigation and inspection were performed to assess the operation of water improvement projects and measure the content of water fluoride in 3 916 villages with drinking water-borne endemic fluorosis across 62 counties/districts of 9 cities in Shanxi province. According to the Diagnosis of Dental Fluorosis (WS/T 208-2011), the prevalence of dental fluorosis was examined among the children aged 8-12 years who were born and lived in these villages. Three endemic villages were randomly selected from each of six counties/districts (Yanggao, Dingxiang, Xiaodian, Taigu, Xiangfen, and Linyi), and X-ray for skeletal fluorosis was performed.
Results After removal of invalid data, 3 907 endemic villages were included in analysis. The investigation showed that in 2019, the water improvement rate in the endemic villages in Shanxi province reached 100%, with a normal operation rate of 98.11%. With 1 mg/L as the standard, the qualified rate of fluoride in drinking water was 83.85% (3 276/3 907) in endemic villages. The detection rate of dental fluorosis in children was 12.71% (15 155/119 266), with a dental fluorosis index of 0.25. X-ray examination showed that the detection rate of skeletal fluorosis was 12.86% (115/894).
Conclusion The water improvement projects are functioning well in endemic regions, with a relatively high qualified rate of fluoride in drinking water, though the level of water fluoride still exceeds the standard in some villages. The overall prevalence rate of dental fluorosis in children in endemic villages meets the national standard.