Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis among Secondary School Children in Oloibiri Community

Abstract

Background: Dental fluorosis with its attendant complication of aesthetic distortion of the teeth has now become another focus of public health intervention worldwide. We studied the prevalence of dental fluorosis among school children at Oloibiri, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of school children attending the Government Secondary School, Oloibiri within the age group of 11-19 years (JSS 1 – SS 3) was performed in January 2015. Each subject was seated on a chair in bright daylight and the teeth were not dried prior to the examination for fluorosis. The presence of dental fluorosis and its severity were recorded and the Dean's index was used to determine the grade of dental fluorosis. The prevalence and community fluorosis index were calculated. Results: The mouth prevalence of dental fluorosis among our study sample was 18% and the Community Fluorosis Index was 0.42. The predominant type of dental fluorosis detected was the very mild variant of the condition (n=12). All subjects examined in this study presented with a low dental caries status. Conclusion: Dental fluorosis and dental caries are not public health problems in Oloibiri Community. Health awareness and education about the use of fluoride are recommended in order to effectively drive home the public health desire of achieving optimal dental health for all round the globe.