fluoresces; Dental disease caused by lack of awareness

Illness and pain are indeed a test of man from Allah. It is a form of human experimentation, but sometimes things happen that pave the way for diseases. Some mistakes are made unconsciously while some are done intentionally.

Suffering the consequences of such mistakes is not only difficult but also painful. Pakistan is one of the countries where the literacy rate is not so low but lack of awareness which causes major problems.

In Pakistan, there are laws, there are institutions, but there is no implementation. Which leads to problems. Access to clean water is a basic right of every human being. But unfortunately, there are still such areas.

Where clean drinking water is not available and the matter is not only limited to this, but its dangerous effects have harmful effects on human health.

There are some areas of Pakistan where fluoride levels in water are dangerously high and one of the worst effects is on children’s teeth. This leads to a disease called fluorosis which affects the structure of the teeth.

In order to know in this context, it is necessary to first understand some facts regarding teeth. In this regard, we consulted the dentist Dr. Salman Bashir Tahir.

Dr. Selman is a senior dental surgeon practicing in Tehsil Bhurhiwala. The important information below regarding this dental disease was made possible by him.

Structure of teeth

Teeth are a beautiful gift of nature. In order to deal with dental diseases, it is also important to know what the structure of teeth is. Teeth are seen by experts in two ways, one in terms of their shape or shape (which includes the root and crown) and the other in terms of histological features. I look at the external structure of the teeth, the internal part and the animal.

The animal acts as a protection shield on the teeth. Now the question is, how are the teeth protected from this shield? There is actually a wall made up of complex interlinked compounds of calcium and fluoride that protect the upper surface of the teeth.

What happens in the disease?

In this disease, the formation of the animal has to suffer and then gradually the teeth suffer from the disease.

According to experts, the development of teeth starts from the stomach of the female. Baby teeth are also formed in the baby’s jaw during pregnancy and then start coming out after six months, similarly, adult teeth (the teeth that come after the baby teeth) also appear between the ages of three and five years. They are formed in the jaw, which come out after the baby teeth fall out at the age of seven or eight.

This makes it clear that the early years of a child’s life are very important in terms of teeth formation in this process, during which the child needs to get adequate amounts of all these vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Fluoride also plays an important role in this. If this amount is reduced or increased, it causes losses.

What happens if the amount of fluoride is increased?

Fluoride is a natural substance that is found in certain amounts in water. It plays an important role in the development of bones and teeth. Its elements are water, soil, plants, rocks and air.

Fluoride plays an important role in smoothing the surface of the tooth and protecting it from cavities.

Even in countries where the amount of fluoride in the water supply is low, it is added to the water supply at the administrative level. Fluoride is commonly used in toothpastes, mouthwashes and supplements. . In terms of its benefits, it protects the teeth and maintains the level of minerals in the teeth.

Protects the bacteria from entering the teeth. You have often seen the claims of being full of fluoride on toothpastes.

But hardly anyone has told you that excessive intake of fluoride can cause your teeth to suffer from a disease called fluorosis, which can have dangerous consequences.

What are the symptoms?

Fluorosis is usually seen in children between eight and ten years of age. In this disease, first white spots start forming on the teeth, then they become yellow and then because their upper surface is weakened, the worm attacks them and destroys them all. Removes teeth.

These differ from normal tooth decay in that the cavity affects only one tooth, but in fluorosis, it affects all teeth.

Teeth gradually fill in and wear out. People who are affected by fluorosis, if their teeth are saved and they neglect brushing for a while, their teeth will suffer the same fate as that of children at an early age.

Which areas of Pakistan have high levels of fluoride in water?

Thus, no substantial work is being done in this regard, but in 2013, a research was done in collaboration with UNICEF and the National Water Quality Laboratory, the aim of which is to check the amount of fluoride in drinking water in Pakistan and to be aware of its disadvantages. Had to do.

In this research, 747 samples of surface water and ground water were taken from 16 different cities of Pakistan. Among them were Lahore, Faisalabad, Kasur, Khushab, Chakwal, Mianwali, Jhelum, Bahawalpur, Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Peshawar, Risalpur, Quetta, Ziarat, Loralai and Matwang.

And these samples were tested according to the guidelines given by WHO. The highest amount of fluoride was found in the water of Balochistan which was 22% while Punjab came second.

According to WHO, more than 1.5 mg of fluoride in one liter of water is harmful. And in this study, its level was high in the cities of Mianwali, Lahore, Khushab, Chakwal, Faisalabad and Kasur in Punjab and in the cities of Quetta, Mastung and Loralai in Balochistan.

Why does disease occur?

Our community awareness is negligible and it shows that if the amount of fluoride in the water is more than a reasonable level, it affects the teeth. Like drinking water. It is the responsibility of the administration to provide clean drinking water.

Awareness about the disease is the responsibility of the Health and Education Departments. Nutrition Supervisor at Union Councils level generally has a role to provide awareness. In each tehsil, the agriculture department checks the water quality and there are agricultural labs in this regard.

In this regard, the most important role of the Public Health Department is to take measures to ensure the health of the people and to draw the attention of the people to preventive measures to prevent the disease. No organization can do all the work alone, so the mutual cooperation of the organizations is the guarantee of the prosperity of the people.

In this regard, the Health Department should conduct water testing in collaboration with the Agriculture Department and should implement awareness campaigns in the community in collaboration with the Education Department regarding the spread of diseases. If the institution and the people working there are sincere with their work and the country and the nation, even the biggest problems can be dealt with.

How many people have been exposed to administrative negligence and incompetence so far. Many problems can be avoided if arrangements and presence of specialists in the dental department are ensured in every tehsil headquarters hospital at the government level.

What is the treatment of the disease?

In this disease, more precautions than treatment, which are called preventive measures, are important, but if someone has this disease, it will be treated at the initial level by polishing and bleaching the teeth to remove these stains. Erasure, normal filing and UV light treatment followed by a lot of protection.

But if moderate is at the sour stage, veneers, which are made of ceramic eggshells, are placed on the outer surface of the teeth. And any changes in the color and structure of the tooth are And if the teeth are in a very bad condition, crowns are placed on them.

How is disease prevention possible?

The most important thing in this regard is awareness and precautions. In this regard, water should always be boiled and used. One way to do this is to use the pot in which you boiled the water, but do not use the last inch of water left in the pot.

Another method is to transfer it to bottles and use filter paper, and if it is not available, pass the water through a muslin cloth and transfer it to the containers. After boring, make sure to get the water lab tested, which can be done easily from the labs of the agriculture department in the tehsil.

Also watch your diet to avoid fluorosis, teeth need calcium, fluoride and phosphate for strength.

Their main sources are milk, fluoride (in water) and yogurt. Also, if you have symptoms of fluorosis, see a good dentist, usually one who specializes in restorative dentistry. Take special care of dental health and hygiene.