The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and severity of
dental fluorosis among 12-15-year-old students from João Pessoa, PB, Brazil before starting a program of artificial
fluoridation of
drinking water. The use of fluoridated
dentifrice was also surveyed. A sample of 1,402 students was randomly selected. However, 31 students refused to participate and 257 were not permanent residents in João Pessoa, thus leaving a final sample of 1,114 students. Clinical exams were carried out by two calibrated dentists (Kappa = 0.78) under natural indirect light. Upper and lower front teeth were cleaned with gauze and dried, and then examined using the TF index for fluorosis. A questionnaire on
dentifrice ingestion and
oral hygiene habits was applied to the students. The results revealed that fluorosis prevalence in this age group was higher than expected (29.2%). Most fluorosis cases were TF = 1 (66.8%), and the most severe cases were TF = 4 (2.2%). The majority of the students reported that they had been using fluoridated
dentifrices since childhood; 95% of the participants preferred brands with a 1,500 ppm F concentration, and 40% remembered that they usually ingested or still ingest
dentifrice during brushing. It was concluded that
dental fluorosis prevalence among students in João Pessoa is higher than expected for an area with non-fluoridated water. However, although most students use fluoridated
dentifrices, and almost half ingest slurry while brushing, the majority of cases had little aesthetic relevance from the professionals' point of view, thus suggesting that fluorosis is not a public health problem in the locality.