Correlation of Water Fluoride with Body Fluids, Dental Fluorosis and FT4, FT3 –TSH Disruption among Children in an Endemic Fluorosis area in Pakistan

Abstract

AbstractIn the present study 134 children were studied for comparison and correlation between an endemic fluorotic village Rukh Mudke (RM), n = 74, and a non-fluorotic village Ottawa (OTW), n = 60. The children were aged between 7-18 years and selected for the estimation of fluoride in their household water, body fluids (urine-serum), dental fluorosis and thyroid hormones (Free tri-iodothyronine (FT3) free tetra iodothyronine (FT4) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) respectively. Mean concentration of water fluoride in subjects of RM was 4.6 ×106 ng/L, urine fluoride 2.59 ×106 ng/L, serum fluoride 6.0 ×104 and dental fluorosis 90.5% respectively. Significant elevation (P = 0.000) in the concentration of three out of these four variables (P < 0.01) was observed (except in serum fluoride) in subjects of RM compared to those in the control group (OTW). Mean FT4, FT3 and TSH concentrations in RM subjects was 18.3 pmol/L, 5.06 pmol/L and 3.2 mlU/L respectively. No marked difference in FT4 and FT3 (P = 0.17 and P = 0.7) was found compared to the control (OTW) group, while significant elevation in TSH (P < 0.05) was found in. 22% of the children in the RM group, portrayed well defined thyroid hormonal aberrations. A negative correlation between water fluoride - FT4 (r = - 0.24); a strong positive between water, urine, serum, dental fluorosis and TSH (r = 0.94, 0.87, 0.88, 0.74 and 0.8) and moderate correlation between water fluoride - FT3 (r = 0.52) was observed. Results of this study indicate that the fluoride intoxication through drinking water is not only increasing fluoride level in body fluids and deteriorating teeth but also destroying thyroid function in a large number of children.