THE RELATIONSHIP OF FLUOROSIS AND BRICK TEA DRINKING IN CHINESE TIBETANS

Brick tea-drinking fluorosis is an unusual environmental problem. As a result of an investigation of tea-drinking habits, total fluoride int akes, dental fluorosis, and skeletal fluorosis, this disease has been found in the Sichuan province of China in Tibetans with a long history of brick tea. The dental fluorosis investigation of 375 Tibetan child ren (213 males, 162 females) and 161 Han children (86 males, 75 female s), 8-15 years of age, was carried out in Daofu County, Sichuan Provin ce. According to the standard of the Chinese Health Ministry, a skelet al fluorosis survey of 658 Tibetans (264 males, 394 females) and 41 Ha ns (20 males, 11 females), 1 over 16 years old, was performed. The tot al fluoride intake and fluorosis were determined from a question-calcu lation method in all participants. The morbidities of dental fluorosis in Tibetan and Han children are 51.2% and 11.05%, respectively, and t he indexes of dental fluorosis are 1.33 and 0.17 (chi(2) = 75.7, p<0.0 1) respectively. The morbidity of skeletal fluorosis is 32.83% for Tib etan children and zero for the Han children. intakes of Tibetan childr en and adults were 5.49 mg/person/day and 10.43 mg/person/day, respect ively, in this area. Of total everyday fluoride intake, 94.2% by child ren and 94.4% by adults was from brick tea and zanba (r = 0.99).