Knowledge and Perception of Fluoridated Drinking Water Among Public in Kulaijaya, Johor
Keywords:
Fluoride, Knowledge, Perception, Drinking WaterAbstract
Fluoride is an ionized form of the fluorine element which is can be found naturally in water bodies and fluoride is also being added into the drinking water supply to prevent and control tooth decay problems, especially among younger children. The purpose of this study is to determine the level of knowledge and perception about fluoride in drinking water among respondents. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 243 respondents who lived in Kulaijaya, Johor by convenience sampling method. They were required to answer an online questionnaire that consisted of three (3) sections, namelysocio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of fluoride in drinking water, and perception of fluoride in drinking water. Most (185 – 76.1%) of respondents were 18 to 64 years old and133 (54.7%) of them were female. Majority of them (153 – 63%)achieved tertiary education level and most (153 – 63%) lived for more than 10 years in the same location. The majority of respondents had poor knowledge level (164 - 67.5%) and a high perception level of fluoride in drinking water (83 - 34.2%). There was an association between educational level and knowledge level (x2=32.19, p-value = 0.000) while, there was no association found between socio-demographic factors (age, gender, educational level, and residential duration) and the public’s perception level of fluoride in drinking water.The local government is encouraged to collaborate with other agencies to implement more fluoridation programs to the public to raise awareness of water fluoridation as knowledge level have positive significance with the education exposure (p=0.000).
References
Nurul, M.N.S. et al. (2017) ‘Fluoride in Drinking Water: a Comparison Between Two Areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’, in 2nd International Conference on Public Health, pp. 121–121.
Ab Razak, N.H. et al. (2016) ‘No Title’, Public Health, 131, pp. 103–111. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PUHE.2015.11.006.
Aoba, T. and Fejerskov, O. (2002) ‘Dental fluorosis: Chemistry and biology’, Critical Reviews in Oral Biology and Medicine, 13(2), pp. 155–170. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/154411130201300206.
Bahari, M. et al. (2018) ‘Evaluation of fluoride concentration in water filter system for households’, International Journal of Integrated Engineering, 10(2), pp. 123–127. doi:https://doi.org/10.30880/ijie.2018.10.02.023.
Blumer, S. et al. (2018) ‘Parents’ attitude towards the use of fluorides and fissure sealants and its effect on their children’s oral health’, Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 42(1), pp. 6–10.
Connett, P.H. (2004) ‘Fifty reasons to oppose fluoridation’, The Journal of Medical Truth [Preprint].
Duan, Q. et al. (2018) ‘Association between water fluoride and the level of children’s intelligence: a dose–response meta-analysis’, Public Health, 154, pp. 87–97.
Griffin, S.O., Jones, K. and Tomar, S.L. (2001) ‘An economic evaluation of community water fluoridation’, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 61(2), pp. 78–86. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1752-7325.2001.TB03370.X.
Gussy, M.G. et al. (2008) ‘Parental knowledge, beliefs and behaviours for oral health of toddlers residing in rural Victoria’, Australian Dental Journal, 53(1), pp. 52–60. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1834-7819.2007.00010.X.
Izuora, K. et al. (2011) ‘Skeletal fluorosis from brewed tea’, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 98(8), pp. 2318–2324. doi:https://doi.org/10.1210/JC.2010-2891.
Jazimin Jusoh, A. et al. (2015) ‘The Usage of Prodigy Module in Generating Family Well-Being in Community’, International Journal of Contemporary Applied Sciences, 2(9). Available at: www.ijcas.net.
Kakti, A. (2018) ‘Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Parents about Dental Fluorosis in their Children’, In International Journal of Oral Care and Research, 6(1).
Karim, A.F. et al. (2020) Water Fluoridation And Oral Health In Malaysia: A Review Of Literature.
Kitalika, A.J. et al. (2018) ‘Fluoride variations in rivers on the slopes of mount meru in Tanzania’, Journal of Chemistry [Preprint]. doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7140902.
Mat Salleh, R. (2007) ‘Water Quality, Perception And Consumer’s Satisfaction Towards Domestic Water Filters’.
Melbye, M.L.R. and Armfield, J.M. (2013) ‘The dentist’s role in promoting community water fluoridation: a call to action for dentists and educators’, Journal of the American Dental Association, 144(1), pp. 65–73. doi:https://doi.org/10.14219/JADA.ARCHIVE.2013.0016.
Ochoo, B., Valcour, J. and Sarkar, A. (2017) ‘Association between perceptions of public drinking water quality and actual drinking water quality: A community-based exploratory study in Newfoundland’, Environmental Research, 159, pp. 435–443.
Sabti, M.Y. et al. (2019) ‘Dental and medical practitioners’ perception of community water fluoridation as a caries preventive measure’, European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry, 20(1), pp. 53–61.
San, Dey, A. and Giri, B. (2016) ‘No Title’, Fluoride Fact on Human Health and Health Problems: A Review, 2(1).
Scherzer, T. et al. (2010) ‘Water consumption beliefs and practices in a rural Latino community: Implications for fluoridation’, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 70(4), pp. 337–343.
Shivaprakash, P.K., Ohri, K. and Noorani, H. (no date) ‘No Title’, Relation between dental fluorosis and intelligence quotient in school children of Bagalkot district, 29(2).
Vanaja, K. et al. (2016) ‘A study on knowledge and awareness about tuberculosis in senior school children in Bangalore, India’, Indian Journal of Tuberculosis, 63(3), pp. 192–198.
