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Excerpt from:

Spencer AJ, Slade GD, Davies M. Water fluoridation in Australia. Community Dent Health. 1996 Sep;13 Suppl 2:27-37.

The one health effect receiving attention is dental fluorosis. Two phenomena are altering the importance usually attached to dental fluorosis. First, anecdotal evidence among practitioners and media attention point to both awarness of and reaction to dental fluorosis in the community. Hoskin and Spencer (in preperation) found that South Austrailian children 10- to 17-years-old were able to recognize very mild and mild fluorosis and register changes in satisfaction with the colour and appearance of teeth. Even mild changes were associated with psycho-behavioural impacts. Hoskin and Spencer asked eight questions on psycho-behavioural impact, such as embarrassment of teeth or self consciousness because of the appearance of the teeth. . . .The most dramatic finding was the strength of the association of TISF score with psycho-behavioural impact was similar to that of crowding and overbite, both considered key occlusal traits driving the demand for orthodontic care. The community recognized dental fluorosis its impact as an adverse healtheffect of exposure to fluorids. Other researchers have also reported the ability of lay people to react to dental fluorosis in compreable populations.

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