Current situation of water improvement and dental fluorosis in drinking-water-type endemic fluorosis areas of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2019 / 中华地方病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To understand the current situation of water improvement and the prevalence of dental fluorosis in children aged 8 to 12 in drinking-water-type endemic fluorosis (referred to as drinking-water-type fluorosis) areas in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (referred to as Inner Mongolia), and to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention and control measures, and provide a basis for timely adjustment of prevention and control strategies.Methods:In 2019, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the situation of water improvement and water fluoride content in all villages of 85 drinking-water-type fluorosis banners (counties) in Inner Mongolia, and all the children aged 8 to 12 were examined for dental fluorosis.Results:Among the 9 623 disease affected villages in the region, the water improvement projects were completed in 8 547 villages, and the water improvement rate was 88.82%. There were 7 145 water improvement villages whose water fluoride content met the national drinking water hygiene standard, which accounted for 83.60% (7 145/8 547) of the total villages with water improvement projects. A total of 118 857 children aged 8 to 12 were examined, and 9 123 cases of dental fluorosis were detected. The detection rate of dental fluorosis was 7.68%, which was lower than the upper limit of the dental fluorosis detection rate of fluorosis area standards (30%).Conclusions:The accomplishment rate of water improvement projects in drinking-water-type fluorosis areas of Inner Mongolia is high, and the condition of children's dental fluorosis has been effectively controlled. However, it is still necessary to strengthen the water quality monitoring, improve the qualified rate of water improvement projects, and effectively implement various comprehensive prevention and control measures.