Generalized permanent dentition fluorosis severity becomes less evident over time among a birth cohort
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objectives: There are relatively few cohort studies which have examined changes in fluorosis appearance over time, and none of these have assessed changes in generalized fluorosis. In this analysis, we quantified and assessed changes in multiple measures of generalized fluorosis severity through childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Methods: Participants were from the Iowa Fluoride Study, a birth cohort recruited from 1992 to 1995. Permanent dentition fluorosis exams were carried out at ages 9, 13, 17, and 23 years using the Fluorosis Risk Index (FRI). Generalized fluorosis was assessed using mean FRI scores at the tooth- and person-level as well as a five-category measure of generalized fluorosis. Generalized fluorosis prevalence and severity was summarized at each time point and differences in adjacent time points were assessed using gamma statistics, signed-rank tests, and plotting changes in generalized fluorosis between adjacent time points. Results: We observed a statistically significant decline in the percentage of non-zero mean FRI scores at later exam ages at both the person- and tooth-levels. Based on our five-category generalized fluorosis measure, there were 34.0%-54.1% of participants with generalized fluorosis at baseline for each tooth group, and these percentages declined to 8.9%-27.2% at the age 23-year exam. Conclusions: We observed a statistically significant decline in generalized fluorosis severity scores and overall prevalence at later exam ages across all three measures of generalized fluorosis severity. This trend should be accounted for when estimating the prevalence of fluorosis in a population using fluorosis severity data collected in children and adolescents.
Source: Frontiers in Oral Health
Institution: University of Iowa
Language: English
Subfield: Periodontics
Field: Dentistry
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,125
Awards: Longitudinal Study of Fluoride, Diet, Caries & Fluorosis, Fluoride & Other Factors in Childhood and Adolescent Bone Development, University of Iowa Institute for Clinical and Translational Science, General Clinical Research Center, University of Iowa Clinical and Translational Science Program (UL1), Secondary Analyses of Adolescent Caries, Including Fluoride, Diet & Other Factors, University of Iowa Clinical and Translational Science Program, G9000157978, G9000302552
OpenAlex ID: W4382679488