Prevalence of dental caries and its relationship with trace elements present in drinking water among 12 year old children in rural areas of andhra pradesh, india

ABSTRACT

AIM: The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship of trace elements present in drinking water and dental caries in children aged 12 years in rural areas of Andhra Pradesh India. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 451children aged 12 years. Clinical examination was carried out and caries experience was recorded. Drinking water samples were collected and subjected to trace element analysis using ICP-MS equipment. Oneway ANOVA, Chi-square test, Pearson's correlation coefficient and Multiple Logistic Regression were used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: A statistically significant relation was found between caries and trace elements like Vanadium (p<0.001), strontium (p<0.001) and lead (p<0.01) in the drinking water. CONCLUSION: It may be postulated from this study that a mixture of trace elements such as fluorine, strontium, boron, and molybdenum may work together to retard caries.