Drikkevand og caries i et nyt perspektiv
I fremtiden vil en større del af verdens drikkevand komme fra afsaltet havvand og brakvand. Inden det afsaltede vand kan bruges som drikkevand, skal det først tilføres ioner for at forbedre dets smag og ned- sætte dets korrosive potentiale. Med hensyn til ca- ries vides kun meget lidt om effekten af andre ioner end fluorid i drikkevand. Derfor har vi her undersøgt effekten af 22 almindelige fysisk-kemiske karakte- ristika ved drikkevand, herunder ioner, gasser, orga- niske forbindelser og fysiske mål, på DMFS blandt 15-årige skolebørn i Danmark. Ved iterativ søgning og testning fandt vi, at kalcium sammen med fluorid kunne forklare 45 % af variationen i DMFS blandt 52.057 15-årige skolebørn i 249 danske kommuner. Begge ioner i drikkevand reducerer DMFS uafhængigt af hinanden og kan derfor anvendes i kombination til udvikling af drikkevand med optimal carieshæm- mende effekt.
Klinisk relevans:
Optimal drinking water composition for caries control in populations: Apart from the well-documented effect of fluoride in drink ing water on dental caries little is known about other chemical effects of drinking water on caries. As other ions in drinking water also, theoretically, may influence caries, as well as binding of fluoride in the oral environment, we hypothesised that the effect of drinking water on caries may not be limited to fluoride. Among twenty-two standard chemical variables, including fifteen ions and trace elements as well as gases, organic compounds and physical measures, iterative search and testing identified that cal cium and fluoride together explained 45 % of the variation in the number of decayed, filled, and missed tooth surfaces (DMFS) among 52,057 15-year-old school children in 249 Danish municipalities. Both ions had reducing effects on DMFS independently of each other and could therefore be used in combination for designing optimal drinking water.