The tribal-dominated but insurgency-hit Kanker district has been found to be the worst fluorosis-hit district out of seven districts where a special study was conducted by the Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare and Regional leprosy Training and Research Institute, under the aegis of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The study was conducted in Ambikapur, Balrampur, Surajpur, Korba, Balod, Bastar and Kanker districts and covered 38 villages and 7,575 people living in these villages. The study authored by Dr Sunil V Gitte (MD), Dr KM Kamble MS (Ortho) and Dr RN Sabat found out that prevalence of skeletal fluorosis ranged between 12.1 per cent to 44 per cent in children of surveyed districts.
The prevalence of skeletal fluorosis increased with age and the overall prevalence of fluorosis among children was found to be 24.4 per cent. “In Kanker district children constituting about 15.2 per cent of the surveyed population showed higher prevalence about 44 per cent where fluoride level was low as compared to districts like Surajpur, Ambikapur (Surguja) and Bastar. This may be due to habit of frequently changing the drinking water sources by the children among the paras and schools,’’ the study mentioned.
Prevalence of both dental and skeletal fluorosis was higher in males. Multiple deformities were also reported in younger age group. In surveying villages and hamlets mostly, wells were located in peripheral areas of the village while the tube wells were easily accessible. The survey population solely depended upon hand pumps and well only.
Mostly wells are superficial and tube wells are deep, hence there is also variation of Fluoride level among them. Endemic fluorosis is an important public health problem in certain pockets of Chhattisgarh, the study noted. Notably Fluorosis is a disease caused by deposition of Fluorides in the hand and soft tissues of the body. According to the study about 62 million people including 6 million children are at risk in India suffering from dental, skeletal fluorosis.