ABSTRACT
Aim: To determine the fluoride concentration in drinking water of villages in Sarada tehsil of Udaipur district, Rajasthan and estimate the prevalence of dental caries in relation with different fluoride levels in drinking water among school going children of 6-12 years age group of the same. Material & Methods: Dental caries for permanent teeth as well as primary teeth was recorded using WHO (1997) in school children of selected villages. The drinking water samples of all the selected villages were collected in polyethylene bottles and the fluoride content of these samples was determined by fluoride ion selective method using Orion microprocessor analyser. Results: The overall prevalence of dental caries in permanent dentition was found to be 81.35% while in primary dentition it was 65.97%. As the water fluoride level increased, there was a decrease in mean dmft scores. There was a significantly very strong positive correlation between water fluoride level and caries experience in permanent dentition and a significantly very strong negative correlation between water fluoride level and caries experience in primary dentition. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the relation between dental caries in primary and permanent teeth with fluoride levels in drinking water. Thus, neither more nor less but optimum amount of fluoride in drinking water is essential for maintaining good oral health and caries free mouth of a child.