A comparative study of skeletal fluorosis among adults in two study areas of Bangarpet taluk, Kolar

摘要

Background: Skeletal fluorosis is a crippling disease resulting from excessive exposure to high fluoride from different sources. Objectives: Toassess the prevalence of skeletal fluorosis in Bangarpet taluk of Kolar, to compare various epidemiological factors influencing the occurrence ofskeletal fluorosis among the two groups with differential water fluoride levels, and to estimate fluoride levels in all the sources of drinking water instudy areas. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the adults of three randomly selected villages of Bangarpet taluk,Thimmasandra, Batavarahalli, with high (>1.5 mg/L) and Maddinayakanahalli with normal (<1.0 mg/L) fluoride levels. A house-to-house surveywas conducted by administering a semi-structured questionnaire. Skeletal fluorosis was assessed by three simple physical tests in the field followedby radiological confirmation among the positives. Fluoride levels of drinking water sources were estimated by the ion-electrode method. Chisquareand Fisher?SQ?s exact tests were used as tests of association. Results: The prevalence of skeletal fluorosis at field level in both high andnormal fluoride groups was 5.0%. Water fluoride levels in Thimmasandra, Batavarahalli, and Maddinayakanahalli were 4.13 mg/L, 2.59 mg/L, and0.61 mg/L, respectively. Among the subjects with skeletal fluorosis, a significant difference was observed between socioeconomic status andprevalence of skeletal fluorosis in both high and normal fluoride groups (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Skeletal fluorosis is a threat among elderly inBangarpet taluk, Kolar district.