Source of drinking water and other risk factors for dental fluorosis in Sri Lanka

Hoek, Wim van der; Ekanayake, L.; Rajasooriyar, L.; Karunaratne, R. S.

doi:10.1080/0960312031000122433

Cited by 38 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…These sites are intensively used for all kinds of purposes and widely appreciated. Further studies in the Uda Walawe system showed heavy faecal pollution of surface water, while deep groundwater was often unpalatable, due to salt or other chemicals (Boelee and van der Hoek, 2002;Rajasooriyar, 2003;van der Hoek et al, 2003). Taking availability and biological and chemical water quality into account, shallow wells seem to be the best water source for domestic purposes in this area (Shortt et al, 2003(Shortt et al, , 2006.…”

Section: Options For Improvementmentioning

confidence: 95%

Multiple use of irrigation water for improved health in dry regions of Africa and South Asia

Boelee

Laamrani

Hoek

2007

Irrigation and Drainage

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In irrigation systems all over the world, water is not only used for the irrigation of agricultural crops, but for a whole range of domestic and other purposes as well. When groundwater is unavailable or of low quality, people may even depend on the irrigation system to provide them with drinking water. Examples from dry regions in different countries have shown that water in irrigation canals is used for laundry mainly on site, while water for domestic purposes is collected for use in the compound. In Morocco and Pakistan special reservoirs have been constructed for the storage of irrigation water for domestic purposes. Often this water is used for cooking and drinking without treatment. While the consumption of untreated surface water poses certain risks to human health, the higher availability of water through the presence of irrigation systems may actually provide health benefits. Water-washed and even water-borne diseases are reduced with increased use of water for personal and domestic hygiene. Adapted design and targeted water management could enhance the health benefits from multiple use of irrigation water and hence increase the value of water for irrigation, or rather, for rural development.

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Section: Options For Improvementmentioning

confidence: 95%

Multiple use of irrigation water for improved health in dry regions of Africa and South Asia

Boelee

Laamrani

Hoek

2007

Irrigation and Drainage

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“…Dental fluorosis has been reported from Walawe River basin in southern Sri Lanka. Here, dry and hot climate is the major factor responsible for high fluoride concentrations in groundwater (Van Der Hoek et al 2003).…”

Section: Sri Lankamentioning

confidence: 99%

Worldwide contamination of water by fluoride

et al. 2016

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Fluoride contamination in water is a major problem across the globe, with health hazards such as dental and skeletal fluorosis. Most earlier studies are confined to local or regional scales. As the problem has serious socioeconomic implications, there is a need for a global perspective. Thus, here we review worldwide research for nearly a century on fluoride contamination in water. We investigated the distribution of fluoride contamination in water, its sources, mobilization and association. The major findings are: (1) Anomalous fluoride concentration in groundwater is mainly confined to arid and semiarid regions of Asia and North Africa. (2) The geogenic sources of fluoride in water are mainly fluorine-bearing minerals in rocks and sediments, whereas anthropogenic sources of fluoride in water are mainly pesticides and industrial waste.(3) Fluoride mobilization from geogenic sources is mainly controlled by alkalinity and temperature. (4) Fluoride occurrence in water is associated with ions such as sodium, arsenic chloride and bicarbonate. There are few associations of fluoride in water with calcium and magnesium.

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“…A previous study in 2003 investigated the association between source of drinking water and dental fluorosis in the South of Sri Lanka. It was found that the shallow wells located close to irrigation canals or other surface water had lower F levels than wells located further away . Hence, the water well F levels in Sri Lanka should be further explored, and alternative methods that are feasible and cost‐effective to minimize dental fluorosis should be investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The heterogeneous nature of water well fluoride levels in Sri Lanka: An opportunity to mitigate the dental fluorosis

Ranasinghe

Kruger

Chandrajith

et al. 2019

Comm Dent Oral Epid

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Objectives The study aimed to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to investigate the spatial distribution of the concentration of fluoride (F) in groundwater resources of Sri Lanka, and the geographic accessibility to an alternative water source having a low or safe F limit to mitigate dental fluorosis. Methods The study used randomly collected (6107) groundwater samples from Sri Lanka and categorized them as “dentally optimal” and “unsafe” based on their F content. The minimum distance from an identified high F source (above dentally optimal level) to a safe groundwater source was determined using geospatial analysis. Results Dentally optimal F sources (<1 and <1.5 mg/L) were identified among the high F groundwater sources (>2 mg/L), some even within a walking distance of 500 m. Results indicated that 26% of dentally unsafe groundwater sources (2.0 mg/L+ wells) had a low F source (<1.0 mg/L) available within a distance of 500 m. It was also evident that 39% of high F wells (2.0 mg/L+ wells) had a low F well (<1.5 mg/L) within a distance of 500 m, if the WHO guideline value for optimal F levels (1.5 mg/L) was assigned as the safe F limit. Conclusion The spatial approach demonstrated a reasonable access to alternative water sources with low or safe F limit in endemic fluorosis areas. Optimizing the use of accessible low F sources is highly recommended as the first‐line option to mitigate dental fluorosis in Sri Lanka since the defluoridation methods introduced in past did not provide sustainable oral health solutions for the inhabitants in high‐risk areas.

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Source of drinking water and other risk factors for dental fluorosis in Sri Lanka

Cited by 38 publications

References 0 publications

Multiple use of irrigation water for improved health in dry regions of Africa and South Asia

Multiple use of irrigation water for improved health in dry regions of Africa and South Asia

Worldwide contamination of water by fluoride

The heterogeneous nature of water well fluoride levels in Sri Lanka: An opportunity to mitigate the dental fluorosis

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