Prevalence of malocclusions under conditions of prolonged introduction of systemic fluorides in variable concentrations: Literature review

Abstract

The pathogenesis of malocclusions, which are common among the population of all countries, is well represented in the professional literature. The occurrence of malocclusions is associated with genetic and various environmental factors. Among the latter, fluorides which affect the prevalence of some dental diseases are of particular interest. However, there are few publications reflecting the frequency of malocclusion among the population in the regions with different levels of fluoride in drinking water. This problem seems to be significant in the context of the increasing impact of fluorine compounds on human health, including dental health.The aim of the study. To analyze the literature on the frequency of malocclusion among the population living in conditions of variable fluoride content in drinking water. A manual search of domestic and foreign literature was performed in the search databases PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar. From the initial list of publications, eighteen articles that met the inclusion criteria for the study were selected for analysis. We revealed significant variability of the research results. Some authors note a higher prevalence of malocclusions among the population under conditions of increased fluoride intake, others note a lower one, and still others did not reveal any differences between the values obtained in both samples. Most of the assessed publications did not methodologically meet modern international standards, and therefore were of little evidence.The literature data do not provide grounds for an unambiguous assessment of fluorine compounds as an environmental factor that indirectly affects the process of occlusion formation in humans and animals.The review did not allow to make a definitive conclusion on the possible impact of systemic fluorides on the prevalence and pattern of malocclusion in humans and animals. It requires the implementation of studies that comply with the principles of evidence-based medicine.

Keywords

• malocclusion
• fluorides
• drinking water
• teeth
• bone
• teething
• tooth size