The occurrence, severity degree, and associated risk factors of dental fluorosis among the 12-year-old schoolchildren in Jilin, China

Abstract

This study aims to describe the occurrence, severity degree, and correlated risk factors of dental fluorosis among the 12-year-old schoolchildren of Jilin, China. We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study among 960 12-year-old schoolchildren in Jilin. The Dean index was utilized to evaluate the severity degree of dental fluorosis. A questionnaire was sent to the guardians of children. Community fluorosis index was measured to estimate the importance of enamel fluorosis for the whole population's public health. The logistic regression analysis was also utilized to identify the correlation between fluorotic teeth and the independent variables. Nine hundred sixty children were assessed. Among them, 480 (50%) were female. 30.5% of subjects had dental fluorosis, 7.19% had very mild dental fluorosis, 10.73% experienced mild dental fluorosis, 9.58% suffered moderate dental fluorosis, and 3.02% encountered severe dental fluorosis. The overall community fluorosis index was 0.73. The results of logistic regression showed that schoolchildren who brushed teeth more frequently (OR: 2.012, 95% CI 1.767–2.342), deficiency of parental supervision (OR: 4.219, 95% CI 3.887–4.573), and lived in rural areas (OR: 2.776, 95% CI 2.163–3.489) were more correlated with enamel fluorosis. Moreover, schoolchildren whose mothers or fathers were of high education level (OR: 0.336, 95% CI 0.217–0.413 and 0.346, 95% CI 0.113–0.512) and only child (OR: 0.378, 95% CI 0.213–0.415) were protective factors for dental fluorosis. In the Jilin province of China, the risk indicators for dental fluorosis include rural areas, more frequency of brushing, low educational background of parents, and deficiency of parental supervision.

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