Abstract
The prevalence of dental mottling is known to be high in Khouribga. However, the fluoride content of the drinking water is too low to explain the high prevalence and severity of dental mottling. Our purpose was to study the distribution of dental mottling in Khouribga and to attempt to find the aetiological factor responsible for this high prevalence and severity of dental mottling. Using the criteria described by Dean (1934) 707 children in the age group 7 to 14 yr were examined. Dental mottling was correlated to place of residence and age. The results showed that the closer to the factory the child lived, the higher the severity of dental mottling. Analysis of the dust exhaust from the furnaces of the factory showed a content of fluoride of approximately 2.0 per cent. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the severity of dental mottling was higher in 10–14 yr old children, than in 7–9 yr old children. This latter finding could be related to the installation of dust filters approximately 8 yr prior to the study, in an attempt to reduce the loss of phosphate during the refinement process. It is concluded that dental mottling in Khouribga is caused primarily by fluoride containing phosphate dust.
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