A new index for measuring the prevalence of dental fluorosis, the Tooth Surface Index of Fluorosis (TSIF), was used to assess the condition in the permanent teeth of 807 children, aged 8 to 16, who had resided all their lives in one of seven Illinois communities with an optimal concentration of fluoride in its water or with 2, 3, or 4 times the optimal concentration. Fluorosis was absent in 84.5% of all tooth surfaces examined in the community with optimal fluoride. In contract, only 31.9% of tooth surfaces had no fluorosis in the community with 4-times the optimal fluoride level. In the optimal fluoride area, 79% of facial surfaces of maxillary anterior teeth, which are esthetically conspicuous, had no fluorosis, whereas only 15.8% of these surfaces in the 4-times optimal area were unaffected. The percentages of all tooth surfaces affected by fluorosis characterized by staining, pitting, or both were 1%, 8%, 19%, and 38%, respectively, in communities with 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4- times optimal fluoride. Differences in fluorosis based on maximum score for all tooth surfaces in a child were statistically significant (an extended chi 2 statistic) among all communities. First molars and incisors in children 8 to 10 years old were affected by more fluorosis than were the same teeth in children 13 to 16 years old. These teeth had been erupted for about 5 years longer in the older age group. The difference might result from abrasion or remineralization of these teeth in the older children or from greater consumption of fluoride by the younger children during tooth development.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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