Defluoridation

Fluoride is often called a double edged sword because deficiency of fluoride intake leads to dental caries while excess consumption leads to dental and skeletal fluorosis. Fluorosis of dental enamel occurs when excess fluoride is ingested during the years of tooth calcification-essentially during the first 7 years of life It is characterized by mottling of dental enamel which has been reported at levels above 1.5 mg/L intake. India is one of the worst fluorosis affected countries with large number of people suffering. This is because a large number of Indians rely on groundwater for drinking purposes and water at many places is rich in fluoride. In India 62 million people including 6 million children are estimated to have serious health problems due to consumption of fluoride contaminated water. Defluoridation was the conventional and widely tested method for supplying safe water to the fluorosis affected communities. Defluoridation refers to methods of water treatment that reduces the concentration of fluoride in the water normally in order to make it safe for human consumption.