Defluoridation- Gift to Mankind

Defluoridation is a prestigious gift to human beings suffering from adverse effects of high concentration of fluoride in water. Fluoride is a double edge sword. At low concentration it is cariostatic whereas at higher concentration it causes dental and skeletal fluorosis. Optimum concentration of fluoride is 1 part per million (ppm) with a range of 0.7-1.2 ppm. It prevents dental caries and helps demineralization of incipient carious lesions. It renders the bones resistant to osteoporosis. On the contrary, when the Fluoride level exceeds the normal limits, it results in various adverse effects over different systems of the body. These adverse effects may be chronic or acute in nature, depending upon the duration and amount of intake of Fluoride. Drinking water is the major source of fluoride. Fluorosis adversely affects various aspects like esthetics, communication, self esteem, inter personal relationships. Areas with high fluoride drinking water call for a change of water supply or defluoridation of the water, if alternative water sources are not available. This presentation discusses various method methods of defluoridation and making drinking water safe to use.