Knowledge And Public Perception Of Dental Fluorosis In Gaza Strip

High prevalence and severity of dental fluorosis (DF) have been a serious dental problem for decades in Gaza Strip (GS)-Palestine. Objective: to estimate DF prevalence and severity, to study the knowledge on DF and its causes and to study the public perception of DF of Palestinian children and their mothers in GS. Methods: Ethical approvals had been secured. A cross sectional study recruited stratified cluster random sample of 350 children aged 12-18ys and their mothers. DF prevalence and severity were determined using Thyllstrup-Fejerskov Index (TFI). Data of knowledge and public perception of DF was collected by interviewed questionnaires. A descriptive analysis was applied to collected data. Results: Prevalence of DF was 78% (63.4% suffered from moderate DF (1-4 TFI score) while 14.6% suffered from severe DF (5-8 TFI score)). Most of children (99.4%) and all mothers did not know what DF was and had not received any information about DF. The majority (99.7%) did not know DF's causes and how to prevent it or minimize its severity. Concerning the public perception of DF, 87.7% of children and 88.6% of mothers did not have problem with fluorosed teeth colour and 86.6% of children and 87.4% of mothers did not desire to treat fluorosed teeth to have better appearance. Although, all respondents felt that others with fluorosed teeth did not have good appearance, 96.9% of children did not hide their smile. Most of participated mothers (99.7%) thought that the government should find immediate solution for this problem and they were ready to participate in solving the problem but the participation will not be monetary. Conclusion: Rare knowledge on dental fluorosis and its causes could increase the risk of having DF and suggests the importance of developing immediate governmental preventive interventions for DF in affected communities in GS.