[Dental fluorosis in upper permanent incisors of public schoolchildren in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis in children aged 7 to 12.


METHODS
The study population comprised 266 children aged 7 to 12 years, enrolled in a public school in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, selected using a simple random sample method. All examinations were carried out between August and December 1999 by a single trained and calibrated examiner (Kappa = 0.92). After obtaining their parents' consent the children had their upper permanent incisors examined under natural light. Their teeth were previously cleaned and dried with cotton rolls. The differential diagnosis between milder forms of dental fluorosis and nonfluoride enamel opacities was made according to Russel's diagnostic criteria. The severity of fluorosis was assessed by the Thylstrup and Fejerskov Index (TF).


RESULTS
The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 7.9% (CI 95%, 5.0-11.8). The severity ranged from 1 to 3 and 77% of the affected teeth had a TF score of 1.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that dental fluorosis does not represent a public health problem in this population.
Oliveira
B H
BH
Departamento de Odontologia Preventiva, Faculdade de Odontologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. branca@uerj.br
Milbourne
P
P
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003802:Dentifrices / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D005260:Female; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence
D003802:Dentifrices