Concentração do fluoreto veiculado pela água de abastecimento público do Rio Grande do Norte e sua relação com os registros de fluorose

Abstract

Fluoride is naturally present in water, and its chronic ingestion at high levels can lead to dental fluorosis. This study analyzes the natural fluoride content found in the public water supply of cities in Rio Grande do Norte, correlating it with records of fluorosis. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 20 municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants, representing 11.9% of the 167 municipalities in the state. The first stage of the research involved collecting secondary data from the Information System for Surveillance of Water Quality for Human Consumption (SISAGUA), regarding the fluoride content in the water of these cities, and obtaining data on fluorosis in children aged 0 to 12 years from the municipalities, provided by the Primary Health Care Information System (SISAB). The second stage involved collecting two water samples per municipality and analyzing them using ion chromatography to determine the fluoride concentration. The natural concentrations of the compound were analyzed and classified based on the moderate risk threshold for dental fluorosis (0.85 mgF/L). According to SISAGUA data, nine municipalities (47.4%) had samples with fluoride levels above the allowed limit. Although some municipalities showed occasional samples above the ideal level, the overall median was within acceptable standards. The data obtained through ion chromatography corroborated those from SISAGUA. When correlating the sample data with the cases recorded in SISAB, no significant correlation was found between fluoride levels and fluorosis.