Malocclusion index assessment in schoolchildren in the endemic fluorosis area (pilot study). Part I

Abstract

Relevance . There are a lot of publications on the assessment of dental caries and fluorosis in children in the fluoride endemic areas. The studies on the analysis of the prevalence and severity of malocclusion in these children are few and contradictory. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and severity of malocclusion in schoolchildren in the endemic fluorosis areas. Materials and methods . A cross-sectional dental examination was performed according to the WHO method with a calibration expert in 361 schoolchildren aged 12 and 15 years old living in the areas with highly fluoridated drinking water (1.5-4.5 ppm). The clinical forms of dental fluorosis were assessed by the WHO classification and the prevalence and severity of malocclusion were evaluated by the DAI index. The obtained information was processed using the SPSS® Statistics 23.0 software. Results . A high prevalence of dental fluorosis was revealed in the examined schoolchildren with the predominance of mild forms of pathology. Most of the children had malocclusion; mild malocclusion was most often diagnosed. Conclusions. The study did not reveal any differences between the occurrence and severity of fluoride induced dental lesions, malocclusion in the studied age and sex groups. The prevalence and severity of malocclusion were comparable in the samples of students without dental fluorosis and with various clinical forms of this pathology.