Abstract
Objective: The purposes of the study in Panomsarakham District, Chachoengsao
Province, were as follows: 1) to survey the quantity of fluoride in drinking water sources;
2) to determine the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in district elementary
schools, and its relationship to the presence of fluoride; and 3) to encourage community
participation in solving the dental fluorosis problem.
Method: 1. Collection of 426 water samples from 87 villages; these were sent for
fluoride detection by ion-specific selection method (electrode); 2. a cross-sectional study
was conducted on 2,281 elementary students in grades 1-6 resident in Panomsarakham
district, for the presence of fluorosis and caries; and 3. resorting to community participation with local authorities.
Result: Highly fluoridated drinking water was found in 13 of 81 villages, and the
levels were especially high in Bansong, Nongyao, Kaohinsorn and Tatan villages. The
dental fluorosis prevalence rate was 35.9 percent among students from highly fluoridated
villages, and only 12.7 percent among those from villages where the level of fluoridation
is low. The severity of dental fluorosis depends on the concentration of fluoride in drinking water, with statistical significance being p=0.000. The mean DMFT was 1.46 in a
highly fluoridated village while it was 1.42 in a village where fluoridation was low. It
was noticed that the highly fluoridated area still had higher rates of dental caries compared with the area with a low level of fluoridation, which is contrary to the findings of
other reports; this aspect requires further study in the future.
Conclusions: High levels of fluoridation in drinking water were found and its presence directly related to the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis. Therefore, the
problem should be solved by stakeholders [government, communities and politicians],
i.e., the communities concerned should take responsibility for a campaign to change the
source of drinking water; politicians should provide a budget for intervention and the
government should support surveillance and the provising of data.
