Community Water Fluoride Cessation and Rate of Caries-related Pediatric Dental Treatments Under General Anesthesia in Alberta, Canada

Overview

Journal Can J Public Health

Publisher Springer Nature

Specialty Public Health

Date 2024 Feb 23

PMID 38389035

Authors

Elnaz Yazdanbakhsh

Babak Bohlouli

Steven Patterson

Maryam Amin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: This study examined the rate of caries-related dental treatments under general anesthesia (GA) in fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities in Alberta, Canada, between 2010 and 2019.

Methods: This retrospective, population-based study included all children ( 12 years of age) living in Calgary (non-fluoridated) and Edmonton (fluoridated) who underwent caries-related dental treatments under GA at publicly funded facilities. Demographics and dental data were extracted from health administrative databases for three time periods of 2010/11 (pre-cessation), 2014/15, and 2018/19 (post-cessation).

Results: Among 2659 children receiving caries-related treatments under GA, the mean (SD) and median (IQR) age were 4.8 (2.3) and 4 (3-6) years, respectively, and 65% resided in the non-fluoridated area. The analysis revealed that the cessation of water fluoridation was significantly associated with an increased rate of caries-related GA events per 10,000 children in both age groups (0-5 and 6-11 years), with a more pronounced effect in 0-5-year-olds in non-fluoridated areas. The risk of dental treatments under GA was also positively associated with post-cessation time.

Conclusion: Discontinuing water fluoridation appears to negatively affect young children's oral health, potentially leading to a significant increase in caries-related dental treatments under GA and oral health disparities in this pediatric population.

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