Monitoring of fluorine concentration of the public water supply in Passo Fundo City - RS

Abstract Introduction Fluorine has efficiency combating and preventing tooth decay, which justifies its addition in public water distribuition, salt, gels, mouthwashes, varnishes, toothpastes and restorative materials. This work aimed to evaluate fluoridation of drinkable water for human consumption in the public water supply on a city of Rio Grande do Sul, through analysis of the samples of water. Methods The study was descriptive research, in which a database of 121 samples of fluoridated water were collected monthly in several metropolitan area districts of the city. Results results showed that 39.7% of the samples were acceptable, 60.3% unacceptable (suboptimal). Regarding the risk-benefit, only 21.4% of the samples offered the best risk-benefit match for the population (0.65 to 0.94 mg/L F). Conclusion The levels of fluorine concentration in samples from the public water supply in the city, showed significant changes during the study period, with a mean concentration of fluorine levels in compliance with the current legislation. These data can be correlated with the high prevalence of dental caries in this population on studies conducted in the cities.