Fluoride And Fluorosis Interaction, Symptoms, Prevalence And Mitigation, (Paperback)

Ever since the pioneering research in fluorosis has been undertaken at ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad in the year 1937, the first case of fluorosis was identified in cattle in Kanagiri, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. Since then, the fluoride and fluorosis research is being continued at ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Fluorosis is a disease that is caused due to excess fluoride in drinking and cooking water which can be easily prevented by safe drinking water. The non-availability of a book in layman's language consisting of various research papers/articles on fluorosis and related areas inspired the author to compile his 25 years of research findings in a simple language that can easily be understood by the common people. The book has covered 20 chapters in various thematic areas like epidemiological studies, basic research (animals), applied research in humans, mechanistic studies, fluorosis mitigation, education and training, and dissemination of knowledge. The epidemiological studies, studies were conducted in 5 districts of Tamil Nadu, Nellore and Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, Nalgonda district of Telangana, Doda district of Jammu, and Kashmir, Nawada district of Bihar, and KarbiAnglong of Assam. These studies were conducted to understand the prevalence and severity of disease, its etiology, and various dietary factors including environmental factors which enhance or reduce the burden of fluoride toxicity in the study areas. The basic studies have been conducted in animal models/species (dog, guinea pig, rabbit, and rat) to understand organ toxicity, various biomarkers, and toxicokinetics of fluoride toxicity and its mitigation by tamarind. The efficacy of mitigation of fluoride toxicity by tamarind pulp was evaluated in humans in the field set up. Whereas, the mechanistic studies related to the enhanced excretion of fluoride through urine and reduced deposition in bone by tamarind intervention were assessed in laboratory conditions in rats, which has been also supported by the insilico studies. As of now, no medicine is available to treat fluorosis; hence, the dietary intervention to mitigate fluorosis has been a challenging area to study. Our basic and translational studies using tamarind to mitigate fluorosis were the aim of the author's research. The research conducted by the author has great potential for further dissemination of knowledge in the area of fluorosis and fluoride research. The knowledge was disseminated in the form of training programs to the health functionaries of the affected districts of the country under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Fluorosis, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. In the capacity of the President for the International Society for Fluoride Research, the author had successfully conducted XXXIII Conference of the International Society for Fluoride Research through which the importance of fluoride research was disseminated globally.