A photographically recorded assessment of enamel hypoplasia in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas in England

Abstract

This study assesses the effect on enamel formation of the use of fluoride toothpaste in a fluoridated area. The prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in 251 9-10-year-old children born and raised in a fluoridated city (Birmingham) was compared with that in 319 similar children born and raised in a non-fluoridated city (Leeds). Observer bias was eliminated by the use of a new photographic technique, enabling colour slides of both groups to be assessed together in a random order. Scoring was done using both the Jackson-Al-Alousi (J-A) index, which is designed to record nonspecific hypoplasias and the Tooth Surface Index of Fluorosis (TSIF). Both were compared to the results from conventional clinical recording using the J-A index. The results showed that the photographic method was highly reproducible and more sensitive than conventional recording and showed a higher level of mild fluorosis in the fluoridated area. However, no evidence of an increase in the higher grades of fluorosis was found. It is concluded that the use of fluoride toothpaste by young children in fluoridated areas is unlikely to produce aesthetically unacceptable levels of enamel fluorosis.