title: Parental perception of fluorosis among 8-year-old children living in three communities in Iceland, Ireland and England.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the impact of enamel fluorosis in three of the communities examined in 'Project FLINT', it was decided to conduct a structured telephone interview with the parents of some of the children who took part in the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three communities involved in this project were able to conduct this investigation: Reykjavik (Iceland), Cork (Ireland) and Knowsley (England). The aim was to interview the parents of children with a range of Thylstrup and Fejerskov (TF) index grades selected from each participating centre with respect to the appearance of their child's permanent maxillary central incisors. Interviewers were blinded as to the TF grade of the subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interviews were conducted with parents of 215 children: 69 with TF grade 0; 70 with TF grade 1; 60 with TF grade 2 and 16 with TF grade 3 or greater. There was a trend towards more parents being unhappy with the appearance of their child's teeth with increasing TF grade. However, the main reasons given by parents for being unhappy with the appearance of their child's teeth was tooth alignment followed by the more yellow colour of permanent compared with primary teeth. Only with a TF grade of 3 was any appreciable concern expressed about fluorosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It would appear that there is a public awareness of both developmental defects and enamel fluorosis although this is not always expressed as dissatisfaction. Further research is required into the clinical impact of both fluorosis and other developmental defects of enamel.
authors.affiliation: University of Iceland, Faculty of Odontology, Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Halla
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sigurjóns
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cochran
authors.forename: Clare E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Ketley
authors.forename: W Peter
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Holbrook
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lennon
authors.forename: Denis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: O'Mullane
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004739:England; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D007180:Incisor; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007494:Ireland; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000523:psychology; D008437:Maxilla; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014075:Tooth Discoloration / Q000523:psychology