Guidelines for teeth fluoridation with respect to fl uoride concentration in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate fluoride concentration in drinking water in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and to provide guidelines for teeth fl uoridation in the area. Data on fl uoride concentration in drinking water in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County were analyzed at Department of Environmental Health, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Teaching Public Health Institute. Fluoride concentration in drinking water was measured by the ion chromatography technique. Public water supply in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is organized through 9 particular water supply systems. A high percentage of 96% of the population are connected to the public water supply, which is considerably higher than the mean estimate of 74% for the country as a whole. The mean concentration of fl uoride in the main Primorje-Gorski Kotar County water sources assessed for a 5-year period (2007-2011) was as follows: Rijeka 0.010 mg F-/L, Opatija 0.020 mg F-/L, Crikvenica-Novi Vinodolski 0.007 mg F-/L, Delnice 0.029 mg F-/L, Vrbovsko 0.038 mg F-/L, Čabar 0.031 mg F-/L, Krk 0.044 mg F-/L, Cres-Lošinj 0.054 mg F-/L, and Rab 0.090 mg F-/L. The Primorje-Gorski Kotar County public water supply systems do not include artifi cial fl uoridation of drinking water. Fluoride concentration in drinking water was found to be low, ranging from the detected limit of <0.002 mg F-/L in Opatija to 0.220 mg F-/L in Rab, yielding the overall mean of 0.034 mg F-/L. In conclusion, considering the amount of fl uorides in drinking water, teeth fl uoridation can be safely accomplished by individually adjusted doses of other fl uoride agents.