Biomaterial Database

Dental enamel opacities in three groups with varying levels of fluoride in their drinking water. 1995

R P Ellwood, and D M O'Mullane

Oral Health Services Research Unit, Dental School and Hospital, Cork, Ireland.

The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of enamel defects in three groups with different levels of fluoride in their water supplies. These data, collected using a reproducible method, will form the baseline for ongoing studies on the prevalence of enamel defects. The overall prevalence of enamel defects was similar in all three groups. However, for individual categories of defects differences were found. The prevalence of demarcated opacities was highest in the group with the lowest level of fluoride in the drinking water. The prevalence of hypomineralised enamel defects (TF index) increased with increasing levels of fluoride in the drinking water. However, the number of teeth affected by these enamel defects and their severity did not follow the dose-response relationship expected from the fluoride levels in the drinking water. Associations between both the frequency of tooth brushing and the age tooth brushing was commenced and hypomineralised enamel defects were identified.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007494	Ireland	A country in western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain. The capital is Dublin.	Eire,Ireland, Republic of,Irish Free State
D009050	Fluorosis, Dental	A chronic endemic form of ENAMEL HYPOMINERALIZATION caused by drinking water with a high fluorine content during the time of tooth formation, and characterized by defective calcification that gives a white chalky appearance to the enamel, which gradually undergoes brown discoloration. (Jablonski's Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992, p286)	Dental Fluorosis,Mottled Enamel,Mottled Teeth,Dental Fluoroses,Fluoroses, Dental,Enamel, Mottled,Mottled Enamels,Teeth, Mottled
D003743	Dental Enamel	A hard thin translucent layer of calcified substance which envelops and protects the dentin of the crown of the tooth. It is the hardest substance in the body and is almost entirely composed of calcium salts. Under the microscope, it is composed of thin rods (enamel prisms) held together by cementing substance, and surrounded by an enamel sheath. (From Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992, p286)	Enamel,Enamel Cuticle,Dental Enamels,Enamel, Dental,Enamels, Dental,Cuticle, Enamel,Cuticles, Enamel,Enamel Cuticles,Enamels
D003744	Dental Enamel Hypoplasia	An acquired or hereditary condition due to deficiency in the formation of tooth enamel (AMELOGENESIS). It is usually characterized by defective, thin, or malformed DENTAL ENAMEL. Risk factors for enamel hypoplasia include gene mutations, nutritional deficiencies, diseases, and environmental factors.	Enamel Hypoplasia,Enamel Agenesis,Enamel Hypoplasia, Dental,Hypoplasia, Dental Enamel,Hypoplastic Enamel,Agenesis, Enamel,Enamel Ageneses,Enamel Hypoplasias,Enamel, Hypoplastic,Hypoplasia, Enamel
D004305	Dose-Response Relationship, Drug	The relationship between the dose of an administered drug and the response of the organism to the drug.	Dose Response Relationship, Drug,Dose-Response Relationships, Drug,Drug Dose-Response Relationship,Drug Dose-Response Relationships,Relationship, Drug Dose-Response,Relationships, Drug Dose-Response
D004739	England	A part of Great Britain within the United Kingdom.
D005459	Fluorides	Inorganic salts of hydrofluoric acid, HF, in which the fluorine atom is in the -1 oxidation state. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed) Sodium and stannous salts are commonly used in dentifrices.	Fluoride
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000367	Age Factors	Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time.	Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age