Trends of fluoride control in China

Abstract

China has been exposed to high fluoride levels for a long time, with > 200 million people being currently threatened by fluorosis. To obtain data essential for controlling fluorosis, this paper analyzes the recent fluoride exposure data for dental and skeletal fluorosis and predicts the prevalence in various parts of China. After surveying environmental data and the prevalence of endemic fluorosis, we found that dental and skeletal fluorosis is still prevalent in many places of China, particularly in remote rural areas. Some effective programs for reducing fluoride levels in water have been implemented across China, such as projects that improve water quality via defluoridation and programs that supply defluoridation stoves to residents. These projects have been somewhat successful, but many rural areas still need sustainable financial assistance to construct and maintain such approaches. Our findings suggest that programs and incentives to improve drinking-water quality should be strengthened by subsidizing defluoridation equipment to remote villages and by closely monitoring fluoride levels in water and fluoride intake by children.