Knowledge, attitude and practices of rural people about fluorides and fluorosis

Introduction : Fluoride has played a pivotal role in oral health promotion over the past 50 years. The benefits of low levels of exposure are outweighed by adverse effects at high level. The problem of high fluoride concentration in groundwater resources has become one of the most important toxicological and geo-environmental issues in India. A comprehensive understanding of its sources, optimum concentration and adverse effect greatly potentiate the use of fluoride with Aim : Assessing the knowledge, attitude and practices of rural people about fluorides and fluorosis. Materials and methods : Atotal of300 subjects aged 18-30 years were selected by multistage cluster sampling technique. A self administered questionnaire containing 15 close ended questions based on knowledge, attitude and practices regarding fluoride and fluorosis was used for the purpose of collecting data. Results : Majority of people (76%) were aware of the presence of fluoride in drinking water. About (71 %) were of the opinion that fluoride in drinking water has an effect on oral health. Most of them (78%) were not aware of the permissible concentration of fluoride in water and of the presence of fluoride in the tooth paste. A lesser proportion of subjects knew about the role of fluoride role in the prevention of caries. About 68% of the people were of the opinion that the yellow discoloration of the tooth surface causes embarrassment while smiling or speaking. Conclusion : Overall results suggest that knowledge is deficient with respect to optimum concentration of fluoride, its role in prevention of caries and the presence of fluoride in food and tooth paste. Attitude and practices are also unfavourable as far as oral health is considered. There is an urgent need to sensitize the community people regarding precise role of fluoride in oral health.