Abstract

FLUORIDE AND ITS IMPACT IN RAJASTHAN- A REVIEW

*Prof. Alpana Kateja, M.A., Ph. D. and Prof. S. C. Joshi M. Sc., Ph.D.

Abstract

About 62 million people, including 6 million children are at risk in India suffering from dental, skeletal and/or non-skeletal fluorosis. At least 14 Indian states are endemic for fluorosis. Among these, 5 states viz. A.P., Rajasthan, Punjab, U.P. and Gujarat are hyperendemic for fluorosis in more than 50 per cent of their districts. 10 per cent of fluoride-affected habitation of the world is in the Rajasthan alone. With less than 1 per cent of country’s water resources, State’s population is mainly dependent on ground water which is either saline or has high nitrates and fluoride content. Overexploitation of groundwater, in combination with the geological distribution of rocks has made the situation worse. People’s ignorance about nutritional requirements to ameliorate the ill effects of fluoride has crippled the life of millions.

Keywords: Fluoride, fluorosis, endemic, dental, skeletal, non-skeletal.