What level of prevention is targeted by water defluoridation?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. Primary prevention.
Water defluoridation targets primary prevention by aiming to prevent the occurrence of fluorosis (dental and skeletal fluorosis) by reducing excessive fluoride levels in drinking water before they cause health problems.
- What is defluoridation: Defluoridation is the process of reducing the fluoride concentration in drinking water to safe and acceptable levels.
- Why is it needed: Excessive fluoride in drinking water can lead to dental and skeletal fluorosis, which are health conditions characterized by tooth discoloration and skeletal abnormalities.
- What level of prevention is it: Water defluoridation falls under primary prevention because it aims to prevent the disease or condition (fluorosis) from occurring in the first place by addressing the root cause (excessive fluoride in water).
- How is it done: Various methods have been developed to effectively remove fluoride from water, including precipitation techniques, ion-exchange processes, adsorption methods, and membrane technologies.