Assessment of fluoride retention in jowar consuming population: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Dental fluorosis is considered as a serious public health problem in India. Water is usually the major source of fluoride exposure, but this is not the case always as exposure to local factors like diet can be important in some situations. Earlier studies have shown that jowar (a millet) consumption interacts with fluoride in the body and elevate fluorosis. AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between jowar consumption and severity of dental fluorosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hundred schoolgoing children of 10-14 years old was selected by random sampling from Wadloor village. Dental fluorosis was measured in children by Thylstrup-Fejerskov index (1988). Twenty-four hours diet recall method was used to know the exposure to jowar of the children. A pretested questionnaire was given to mother or caretaker to record the jowar consumption. Spot urine samples of children were collected in plastic containers (20 ml) and brought to the laboratory in icebox. Ion selective electrode method was used to measure the fluoride level in urine samples of children. RESULTS: On comparison of the quantity of jowar and fluorosis using Pearson Chi-square test, difference among variable was found out to be statistically significant (P = 0.013, P < 0.05). On comparison of quantity jowar consumption and urinary fluoride level using Pearson Chi-square test, the difference among variable was found statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Jowar consuming population was positively associated with severity of dental fluorosis.

[Epidemiological pattern of abnormal urinary fluoride rates in population with occupational fluoride exposure in Shanghai].

Objective: To investigate the epidemiological features of abnormal urinary fluoride rates in population with occupational exposure, and its relationships with age, work years and gender in Shanghai. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted respectively in 4 999 exposed workers and 283 non-exposed people during 2012-2015. Their urine samples were collected in plastic bottles and the fluoride ion selective electrode method was used for urinary fluoride level analysis. Logistic regression model was used to estimate associations between the abnormal rates and demographic/socioeconomic status of the study subjects. Results: In the past 4 years, the abnormal urinary fluoride rates (≥1.6 mg/L) in the population with occupational exposure was about 14.38%, it was about 1.43% in the control groups without occupational exposure. Their geometric mean of urinary fluoride content was 0.95 mg/L and 0.46 mg/L, respectively. The incidences of the abnormal rates in those aged ≥50 years and 34-39 years were 19.15% and 22.39%, respectively. The abnormal rate in males was 16.87%, much higher than that in females (6.85%). The abnormal rate had an upward trend along with the increased work years, especially in those with work years of ≥20 years. The abnormal rate was 23.28% in those with work years of ≥20 years and 13.29% in those with work years of <4 years. The relative risk for abnormal urinary fluoride rates was higher in male group, older age group and longer work year group, the odds ratio was 2.28, 1.10 and 1.13, respectively. Conclusions: Serious challenges exist in occupational health supervision. The relevant national standards should be updated as soon as possible. Males, those aged >50 years, and those with longer work years are the risk groups for intervention measures. More efforts are needed, such as strengthening the innovative application of health examination data and the equalization of basic public health service with comprehensive occupational health supervision programs among off-farm workers in the new medical reform.

Change of urinary fluoride and bone metabolism indicators in the endemic fluorosis areas of southern China after supplying low fluoride public water.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated health impacts, especially biomarker changes, following implementation of a new environmental policy. This study examined changes in water fluoride, urinary fluoride (UF), and bone metabolism indicators in children after supplying low fluoride public water in endemic fluorosis areas of Southern China. We also assessed the relationship between UF and serum osteocalcin (BGP), calcitonin (CT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bone mineral density to identify the most sensitive bone metabolism indicators related to fluoride exposure. METHODS: Four fluorosis-endemic villages (intervention villages) in Guangdong, China were randomly selected to receive low-fluoride water. One non-endemic fluorosis village with similar socio-economic status, living conditions, and health care access, was selected as the control group. 120 children aged 6-12 years old were randomly chosen from local schools in each village for the study. Water and urinary fluoride content as well as serum BGP, CT, ALP and bone mineral density were measured by the standard methods and compared between the children residing in the intervention villages and the control village. Benchmark dose (BMD) and benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL) were calculated for each bone damage indicator. RESULTS: Our study found that after water source change, fluoride concentrations in drinking water in all intervention villages (A-D) were significantly reduced to 0.11 mg/l, similar to that in the control village (E). Except for Village A where water change has only been taken place for 6 years, urinary fluoride concentrations in children of the intervention villages were lower or comparable to those in the control village after 10 years of supplying new public water. The values of almost all bone indicators in children living in Villages B-D and ALP in Village A were either lower or similar to those in the control village after the intervention. CT and BGP are sensitive bone metabolism indicators related to UF. While assessing the temporal trend of different abnormal bone indicators after the intervention, bone mineral density showed the most stable and the lowest abnormal rates over time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that supplying low fluoride public water in Southern China is successful as measured by the reduction of fluoride in water and urine, and changes in various bone indicators to normal levels. A comparison of four bone indicators showed CT and BGP to be the most sensitive indicators.

Effect of tamarind ingestion on fluoride excretion in humans.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of tamarind (Tamarindus indicus) ingestion on excretion of fluoride in school children. DESIGN: Randomized, diet-control study. SUBJECT: Twenty healthy boys were included and 18 of them completed the study. INTERVENTIONS: Each subject consumed 10 g tamarind daily with lunch for 18 days at the social welfare boys' hostel. The nutrient composition of the daily diet was constant throughout the experimental period. RESULTS: Tamarind intake led to significant increase (P<0.001) in the excretion of fluoride in 24 h urine (4.8+/-0.22 mg/day) as compared to excretion on control diet (3.5+/-0.22 mg/day). However, excretion of magnesium and zinc decreased significantly (7.11+/-1.48 mg of Mg and 252.88+/-12.84 microg of Zn per day on tamarind diet as compared to 23.39+/-3.68 mg of Mg and 331.78+/-35.31 microg Zn per day on control diet). Excretion of calcium and phosphorous were not significantly different while creatinine excretion decreased with tamarind intake (225.66+/-81 mg creatinine/day with tamarind and 294.5+/-78.76 mg creatinine/day without tamarind). CONCLUSION: Tamarind intake is likely to help in delaying progression of fluorosis by enhancing urinary excretion of fluoride.

Assessment of the anaesthetic and metabolic activities of dioxychlorane, a new halogenated volatile anaesthetic agent.

The ability of dioxychlorane to depress cortical activity in rats with implanted electrodes was compared to that reported previously for methoxyflurane, halothane and enflurane. Dioxychlorane was eight times more potent than enflurane, five times more potent than halothane and twice as potent as methoxyflurane. Serum fluoride concentrations after the administration of dioxychlorane and enflurane were not different from controls. In contrast, serum fluoride concentrations after methoxyflurane reached a value of 105 mumol litre-1 and remained increased for at least the next 48 h. Urine fluoride concentrations in the dioxychlorane and enflurane groups were a half and a quarter, respectively, of those recorded in the methoxyflurane group. Polyuria and polydipsia were observed only in the methoxyflurane group. Dilatation of the proximal convoluted tubules was noted in the rats anesthetized with methoxyflurane. These changes were most marked at the 6- and 24-h periods following anaesthesia. Haemorrhage and ulcerative cystitis were noted in the bladders of the rats subjected to methoxyflurane. Cellular swelling in the proximal tubule was observed in the rats sacrificed 24 h after the administration of dioxychlorane. Enflurane produced no pathological changes.