ABSTRACT
Environment pollution is listed as the most significant problem of the 21st century. In cities throughout the world, long periods of heavy air pollution have caused increase of illness rates. Effect of air pollution on the dental status of children in Tbilisi, Georgia (Caucasus) was studied. The research was conducted on 311 children aged 3-4 according to the standard method of WHO (caries spread, intense cavities and non cavitated teeth decay). A high rate of dental cavities (approx 98, 9%) and 8 individual cases of non-cavitated pathology of hard tissue of teeth was encountered in Tbilisi. It was found that tooth decay does not depend on the quotient of air pollution; at the same time, ecological index considerably affects the data of intense dental caries: it is higher in those parts of the city, where the pollution of the environment is high (6,0% and 3,9% accordingly). The research shows that the increase of ecotoxins in the atmosphere can affect not only the organs and system of the human organism, but also appears to be a risk factor for future dental pathology.
