A Comprehensive Review on the Techniques and Indexes Used for the Analysis of Fluorosis in Humans and Cattle

Abstract

Fluoride is known to play a significant role in dental formation. High fluoride intake leads to different symptoms one of them is dental fluorosis, which is chronic dental toxicity. Various indexes have been introduced to measure the intensity and severity of dental fluorosis. Some of these indexes are fluoride specific, such as Dean’s index, Thylstrup and Fejerskov index, the Tooth Surface Index of Fluorosis index, ICMR index. While others are non-fluoride descriptive indexes such as the Developmental Defects of enamel index. Dental fluorosis is most commonly assessed by clinical examination by experts in these indexes, but nowadays, technical assistance such as photographs is used for diagnosis. Recent advancements have also witnessed the development of Visual analog scales and quantitative light fluorescence methods for dental fluorosis assessments. This review article focuses on important techniques and indexes used in the evaluation and characterization of dental fluorosis. A comparative review analysis of available indexes and the scope of future advancements have also been compiled.