Fluoride And Fluorosis In The Sudan

In Sudan the Nile River provide water for agriculture and industry, and for the majority of Sudanese households. Where Nile water is unavailable, sub-surface water reservoirs are tapped. No comprehensive study has ever been made on the fluoride contents of Sudanese ground water. Dental fluorosis is, however, found in certain areas of the country, especially in the Northern and Western provinces. In the present study water samples were collected from 55 wells in various provinces in the northern part of Sudan. The fluoride concentration of the waters ranged from 0.08 to 3.55 mg-F/L. The overall average fluoride concentration was 0.34 mg-F/L. Dental fluorosis was studied in two villages in the Khartoum area, Treit el Biga (TeB) and Abu Groon (AG). The fluoride contents of the village wells were 0.25 and 2.5 mg-F/L, respectively. All the examined children in AG had dental fluorosis, with Dean's scores ranging from 1 to 4. The Community index was 2.44. The prevalence and degree of dental fluorosis in high-fluoride AG was comparable to what has previously been reported from areas with a similar fluoride concentration. Dental fluorosis was seen in 91 percent of the children in low-fluoride TeB. The TeB community index was 1.40. The fact that 91 percent of the examined children developed dental fluorosis in TeB; an area with lower than average fluoride concentration in the drinking water, is alarming, and requires further studies.