Prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis among patients visiting a dental college in Jaipur, Rajasthan

The most common cause of fluorosis in India is fluoride laden water derived from bore wells dug deep into earth. High fluoride concentration in groundwater is a major public health problem in India. To present the data on the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in adult population of Jaipur district, Rajasthan, India, and also its relationship with source of drinking water. A total of 477 subjects from Jaipur district, aged 18 to 40 years of age were examined using type III examination. The modified WHO 1997 assessment form was used to examine each subject in a dental college setting. Dental fluorosis was present in 89.0% (425 subjects). Questionable and very mild level of fluorosis was found among 34(7.1%) and 54(11.3%) patients respectively. Maximum number of patients 146 (30.6%) presented with mild level of fluorosis and 136 (28.5%) had moderate level of fluorosis. In the study sample 55 (11.5%) patients had severe fluorosis. There is a high prevalence of mild-to-moderate fluorosis in Jaipur district. The prevalence of dental fluorosis can be attributed to the level of fluoride in the drinking water.