Comparative assessment of intelligence quotient among children living in high and low fluoride areas of Kutch, India- a pilot study

Long-term ingestion of large amounts of fluoride can lead to potentially severe skeletal problems and neurological consequences. The study was conducted to assess and compare intelligence quotient of children living in high and low fluoride areas in Kutch, Gujarat, India. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 100 school children aged 8 to 10 years, living in Kutch District, Gujarat, India during July 2012. Mundra [2.4 to 3.5 mg/L] and Bhuj [0.5mg/L] were the two villages randomly selected to represent the high and low water fluoride areas respectively. Seguin Form Board Test was used to assess the intelligence quotient [IQ] level of children. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test was used for analysis. Mean scores for average, shortest and total timing category were found to be significantly higher [P<0.05] among children living in Mundra [30.45 +/- 4.97] than those living in Bhuj [23.20 +/- 6.21]. Mean differences at 95% confidence interval for these timings were found to be 7.24, 7.28 and 21.78 respectively. In both the villages, females had lower mean timing scores than males but the difference was not statistically significant [P>0.05]. Chronic exposure to high levels of fluoride in water was observed to be associated with lower intelligence quotient

Relationship of periodontal status and dental caries status with oral health knowledge, attitude and behavior among professional students in India / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

<p><b>AIM</b>To find the relationship of periodontal status and dental caries status with oral health knowledge, attitude, behavior, among professional students in India.</p><p><b>METHODOLOGY</b>In a cross sectional study, a total of 825 students (males: 577, females: 248) from six professions were surveyed using a self administered structured questionnaire including 41 multiple choice questions and the WHO Oral Health Assessment Form (1997). The data was analyzed using the SPSS version 13.0 to perform the Student's t-test, ANOVA test, Scheffe's test and Chi-square test, linear regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean percentage scores of the students for knowledge were 53.25 +/- 15.05; for attitude 74.97 +/- 20.48; and for behavior 59.09 +/- 18.77. The percentage of students with calculus score was found to be significantly high (43.8%). The percentage of professional students with DMFT >4 was 14.1% and the percentage of students with decayed teeth was 46.2%. The regression analysis showed that the oral health behavior of the students was dependent on the attitude (P < 0.001), but showed no significant linear relation with the knowledge. Also, that the mean DMFT score was dependent on the oral health behavior (P < 0.05), but showed no significant relationship with the knowledge and attitude of the students. The periodontal status was independent on the knowledge, but showed a significant relationship with attitude and behavior of the students.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A positive attitude and adherence to good oral hygiene behaviors is associated with better oral health.</p>