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. 2023 Dec;45(12):9925-9940.
doi: 10.1007/s10653-023-01772-9. Epub 2023 Oct 31.

Epidemiological analysis of drinking water-type fluorosis areas and the impact of fluorosis on children's health in the past 40 years in China

Feiqing Wang #  1   2 , Yanju Li #  3 , Dongxin Tang  2 , Jianing Zhao  2 , Bo Yang  2 , Chike Zhang  3 , Min Su  4 , Zhixu He  4 , Xiaodong Zhu  5   6 , Dong Ming  1 , Yang Liu  7   8
Affiliations

Epidemiological analysis of drinking water-type fluorosis areas and the impact of fluorosis on children's health in the past 40 years in China

Feiqing Wang et al. Environ Geochem Health. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

This study analyzed the effect of China's fluorosis prevention and control program, which has been in effect for more than 40 years, and the impact of fluorosis on children's health. Relevant research studies were retrieved from the following online databases from the time of their inception to May 2022: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Cochrane, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang. The Review Manager 5.3 software was used in statistical analyses. This article included seventy studies: Thirty-eight studies reported the effect of improving water quality and reducing fluoride content, the incidence rate of dental fluorosis in children, and the level of urinary fluoride, and thirty-two studies reported the intelligence quotient (IQ) and health status of children. Following water improvement strategies, the fluoride levels in drinking water decreased significantly; urinary fluoride levels and dental fluorosis decreased significantly in children. With regard to the effect of fluorosis on the IQ of children, the results showed that the IQ of children in areas with a high fluoride of fluorosis was lesser than that in areas with a low fluoride, and this difference was significant. Based on the prevalence of dental fluorosis and its effect on the intelligence of children, it appears that reducing fluoride levels in drinking water and monitoring water quality are important strategies for the prevention and treatment of fluorosis.

Keywords: Defluoridation; Drinking water fluorosis; Fluorosis area; Health status; Intelligence quotient.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart depicting the study selection process
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Urinary fluoride levels and incidence of skeletal fluorosis in adults. A Urinary fluoride levels in adults. B Prevalence of skeletal fluorosis in adults
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Urinary fluoride levels in children
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
IQ levels in children with normal teeth and dental fluorosis in fluorosis areas
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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