Fluorosis sinks teeth into school students across State

[pfpcnews]

Fluorosis sinks teeth into school students across State

ExpressBuzz - June 10, 2009

By Nalini Ravichandran

CHENNAI: School students form one of the largest victim groups of fluoride-affected water, studies in the districts reveal.

Experts have also found that the number of fluoride-affected districts in the State is increasing.Fluorosis has a crippling effect on both the dental and bone structure.

As many as 30-89 per cent of school children in Dindigul and 31.4 per cent students in Cuddalore suffer from dental fluorosis. Satish Kumar, chief of the UNICEF office for Tamil Nadu and Kerala told The New Indian Express that awareness had to be created among schoolteachers on the symptoms of fluorosis — loss of lustre in tooth enamel, visible discolouring and damaged teeth as a result of excessive intake of fluorine. Kumar said water intake in schools has to be monitored, domestic de-fluoridation units, which remove up to 2,300mg of fluorine per kilo, should be installed and students have to guard against excessive use of dental products, drugs and industrial pollution.

Kumar said poor nutrition was a prime reason for fluorosis. He said there was a need to change dietary habits and increase consumption of calcium-rich products, milk, green leaf vegetables, vitamin C rich food and natural anti-oxidants such as garlic, ginger and carrot. He said the belief that fluoride could be removed by boiling water was a misconception and added that only a filter could do it. More than 70 per cent of districts in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have been affected by fluorosis.

Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board studies show that the number of districts affected by fluorosis has risen over the years. While in 1994, 11 districts were affected, in 2000 it rose to 19. In 2008, 10 districts were put in the “black zone” category, meaning that in these districts the rate of groundwater extraction had exceeded the replenishment rate.

SOURCE:
http://tinyurl.com/lfotab