Dental fluorosis: Prevalence, degrees of damage and risk factors in children from 7 to 13 years of Canton Cuenca

The purpose of the investigation was assessment of the prevalence of dental fluorosis in scholar children living in the urban and rural areas of Cuenca Canton and to define the responsible risk factors, such as fluor concentration in drinking water and sodium. Also the relation between fluorosis and C-reactive protein (CRP) and stature were examined. A transversal study was carried out on 222 children living in the rural area and 285 in the urban area, 7 to 13 years old. The survey revealed that the degree of fluorosis is related to the fluor concentration in drinking water and urine, the salt intake and the CRP concentration in blood. The prevalence of dental fluorosis is higher in the rural than the urban area: 80,7% versus 74%. According to Dean’s index of fluorosis, the percentage of moderate and severe fluorosis are considerably higher in the rural than in the urban area: respectively 4,2 and 23% versus 0,4 and 4,1%. Age (OR: 1,23; IC: 1,01 a 1,51; p = 0,04) and fluor content in salt (OR: 7,3; IC: 2,29 a 23,4; p = 0,001) are significantly related with the severity of fluorosis, but only in the children living in rural areas. The degree of fluorosis is not related with the CRP concentration, neither with the stature of the children. The survey clearly reveals that the older children in the rural areas are more vulnerable to fluorosis, most likely the consequence of the high fluor intake due to the daily excessive salt consumption.