Fluoride and Nonfluoride Enamel Opacities

DEVELOPMENTAL OPACITIES inenamel associated with fluoride ingestion hlave been termed "fluorosis."Dean (1) has thoroughly studied these opacities and has es- tablished criteria for classifying them.There are also enamel opacities, not attributed to fluorine, which occur in low-fluoride areas; these lhave been described (2, 3) but have not been categorized.This report compares the prevalence and distribution patterns of enamel opacities in a fluoride area and in a nonfluoride area.The positive signs of fluorosis ("very mild" to "severe") have been identified readily in epidemiological surveys.However, differentiation of questionable fluorosis opacities from the nonifluoride lesions has occasionally been difficult (4-6).This study presents several methods of distinguishing between these two types of enamel opacities. Methods Aurora, Ill., and Montgomery and PrinceGeorges counties in Maryland were the areas selected for this study.In each locality continuous resident white children 12-14 years old were examined for dental caries experience and dental fluorosis within a few months of each other.