Comparison of two fluorosis indices in the primary dentition of Tswana children

Abstract Fluorosis of the primary dentition was determined in 146 children living in a hot, dry African village with a fluoride concentration in the drinking water of 0.98–2.7 ppm. The prevalence of fluorosis was compared using D ean's (8) and T hylstrup & F ejerskov's (14) indices. The prevalence varied according to tooth type, being highest in maxillary second molars (25%) and lowest in mandibular central incisors (4.6%). The two scoring systems produced almost identical prevalences of fluorosis but the severity scores varied. Generally T hylstrup & F ejerskov's index scores were one score higher than D ean's . The T hylstrup & F ejerskov index is recommended for future studies.