熱帯地域における歯牙フッ素症発症閾に関する研究 : Indonesia(Java島)における調査研究

Abstract

Dental caries is so widely spread and inflicting lifelong sufference upon so many people in the world that WHO is recommending to sanitary authorities concerned to take preventive measures against the disease by fluoridation of drinking water. Although the recommended method is accepted as an effective prophylaxis, the determination of the optimal dosis for fluoridation is very difficult problem. Since 1966, we have been conducting the field researches in Thailand, Taiwan and South India, and we have suggested that, with the increasing of annual mean temperature, dental fluorosis is appear at lower fluorine concentration of drink water, and also the limit of safety permissible range of fluorine content becomes narrower. This time, in Indonesia, we have examined the incidence of dental fluorosis of some school children and determined the fluorine content of water taken daily by those children. As the result, we find out that the dental fluorosis in this country was appearing at very low fluorine content of drink water. Especially at Bantal area, East Java, severe dental fluorosis was observed, that is, the incidence of mottled teeth is 100%, fluorine content of drink water is 2.4ppm, and community fluorosis index is 3.4. When we consider the above findings and the precision that we can guarantee at present for fluoridation to water works, and also the individual variation in water consumption by race or place, the possibility of dental fluorosis occuring would be great in fluoridation in areas where the annual mean temperature exceeds 70°F. So, at least, it is required more careful consideration to determine the optimum dose of fluoridation in tropical area.