ENAMEL FLUOROSIS AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH DENTAL CARIES IN A NONFLUORIDATED COMMUNITY OF WIELKOPOLSKA, WESTERN POLAND

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in permanent teeth and its association with dental caries in a group of school children living in a nonfluoridated community of Wielkopolska (Poland). The sample consisted of 470 children aged 6-14 years. Dental fluorosis was described using the Thylstrup and Fejerskov Index (TFI). Dental caries experience was assessed in accordance with the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT). The study revealed 80 subjects (17%) to have their dentition affected by fluorosis with the range of TFI scores 1-3. The association between the prevalence of fluorosis and dental caries was not statistically significant (p=0.69). The subjects unaffected by fluorosis had a mean DMFT of 2.51 which was not significantly higher than the mean of 2.45 among those with fluorosis (p=0.86). The results do not support the theory about caries preventive benefits associated with excessive fluoride (F) exposure.