Fluoride in water consumed by children in remote areas of Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze fluoride content in water for drinking and for use in remote areas of Thailand. Water was sampled from schools and villages along the border by Multiple Stratified Cluster Random Sampling. Fluoride levels of 214 water samples from 48 schools and 48 villages were assessed in triplicate by fluoride ion electrode. The fluoride content in different regions and types of water were statistically analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test at a significance level of 0.05. Results showed that fluoride in drinking water and water for use from the schools and villages were 0.01-0.37 ppm, 0.01-0.19 ppm, 0.01-0.87 ppm and 0.01-0.92 ppm, respectively. There was no difference in fluoride content in drinking water from various regions (p=0.23). However, there was a statistical difference in fluoride level in water for use (p=0.04, p=0.01) in various regions. The highest fluoride content was found in samples from the central and eastern region (0.19±0.24 ppm and 0.29±0.28 ppm respectively). When comparing types of water, ie ground water, surface water and rain water, there were differences in fluoride content (p=0.00). Underground water had the highest fluoride content (0.31±0.23 ppm).