INFLUENCE OF EXPOSURE TO VARIOUS FLUORIDE TECHNOLOGIES ON THE PREVALENCE OF DENTAL FLUOROSIS

An increase in the prevalence of dental fluorosis among children in No rth America is well documented. Published reports of the relationship between the occurrence of dental fluorosis and early exposure to vario us fluorides and the use of different types of infant feeding practice s have begun to provide insights into possible causes for this increas e. This study was designed to investigate this issue for children livi ng in a non-fluoridated and a fluoridated community in British Columbi a, Canada. Parents or guardians completed a questionnaire which detail ed exposure to different types of fluorides and infant feeding practic es during the first 6 yr of life. Completed questionnaires were return ed and examinations were performed on 1131 children. 60% of children h ad dental fluorosis, and only 8% presented with scores of 2 or greater . Logistic regression analyses showed that the use of infant formula a nd parental educational attainment were significantly associated with the occurrence of dental fluorosis in the range of scores from 2 to 6. Despite these statistically significant findings, these variables act ually had little additional predictive value beyond a chance occurrenc e in determining which children would have dental fluorosis,