Access to fluoridated water: an overview since its implantation in a city of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the fluoridation scenario in a city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, since its implantation to the present day. Material and Methods: water samples were collected from 2011 to 2017, in 21 locations of the city, analyzed by the electrometric method and classified based on the recommended national fluoride concentrations. Results: from a total of 2,297 samples collected, only 688 (29.95%) were within the recommended range (0.65-0.94 ppmF), with concentrations ranging from 0.00 to 1.92 ppmF and with an average concentration of 0.41 ppmF. During the period of evaluation, it was observed that the locations that were closest to the central region of the city were constantly fluoridated, and most of the samples were in accordance with the parameters recommended by CECOL-USP. On the other hand, in the peripheral neighborhoods, the samples were considered underfluoridated, which might result in inefficacy in the prevention of caries disease. Conclusion: the city showed a clear deficiency in maintaining of fluoride levels at adequate concentrations, which reinforces the relevance of controlling of this measure as part of a continuous surveillance action in oral health care.

Keywords

• fluoretação
• tratamento de água
• água de abastecimento público