Prevalence, severity, and request for treatment of dental fluorosis among adults in an endemic region of Northern Nigeria

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the prevalence of all forms of dental fluorosis (DF), the severity, and the request for treatment as a measure of the burden of the condition among adult patients seen at a tertiary health facility in an endemic region of Northeastern Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that collected required information using a questionnaire from adult dental patients followed by dental examination to assess for DF. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Associations between sociodemographic distributions (age and gender) and prevalence were analyzed on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences using the Chi-square test. Analysis was done at 95% confidence interval and the level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Three hundred and twelve patients (41.7%) were diagnosed with DF among the patients who resided in the endemic region with a calculated Community Fluorosis Index of 0.62. The mean age of the affected patients was 33.8 ± 9.2 years, with a majority of the patients in the 16–25 (47.4%) years' age group and a preponderance among females (P = 0.003). A greater proportion of the 312 diagnosed patients, 201 (64.3%), had fluorosis of esthetic concern, while only 9.3% sought treatment. Most of these patients that sought treatment had the severe form of the enamel defect. CONCLUSIONS: DF should be considered as a condition of public health importance in this region. It is necessary to conduct a community-based study and fluoride mapping of the northeastern region as well to determine other factors that may contribute to its occurrence in this population.