[The relations between dental fluorosis and economic status in Shuicheng, a fluorosis-endemic County in Guizhou province].
OBJECTIVE
To discuss the relations of dental fluorosis and the social economic status in fluorosis-stricken villages where drying the corn by burning coal was prevail.


METHODS
A total of 6 fluorosis-endemic villages and one non-endemic village were involved in the study. The general fluorine intake and the concentrations of fluorine in corn, in the pupils' were tested. Dental fluorosis among the pupils was also examen. A individual interview or household questionnaire survey was conducted to probe the economic condition and staple food structure in 600 adults.


RESULTS
The fluorosis prevalence was lower in the villages of transportation convenience, higher income, less coal-dried corn intake. There was a declining trend of dental fluorosis in the corresponding age groups (r: 0.912, 0.916; P < 0.05); There was no significant changes in age-specified dental fluorosis in the low income villages. The correlation (r) of corn fluorine concentration and student's age-specified dental fluorosis prevalence and disparity was 0.755 - 0.980 (P < 0.05) and 0.302 - 0.811; The urine fluorine concentrations were 0.811 and 0.915 (P < 0.05). It was assumed that there was a negative correlation between family cash income and the dental fluorosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The corn fluorine concentration is closely related to age-specified dental fluorosis. With the economic improvement, taking less coal-burned corn is the one of major factors in reducing the of dental fluorosis in these areas.
Li
Fu-Cheng
FC
The Municipal Center for Diseases Control, Liupanshui 553001, China. gzlpsslfc88@yahoo.com.cn
Yan
Shu-Lin
SL
Qin
An-Nan
AN
Liou
Guo-Yuan
GY
Xie
Wen-Fu
WF
Gou
Jiu-Fa
JF
D002681:China; D003031:Coal; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005461:Fluorine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000652:urine; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population; D003313:Zea mays
D003031:Coal; D005461:Fluorine