EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF FLUORIDATED WATER ON THE INTELLIGENCE LEVEL OF CHILDREN: ON THE PATH TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE

A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the impact of fluoridated water on the intelligent quotient (IQ) of primary school-going children. We used a random sampling approach for data collection purposes. A total of 376 respondents (10-16 years old) were chosen from areas with high and low levels of fluoride in drinking water (high fluoride group: 1.2-2 mg F/L [mean 1.7 +/- 0.3], n=205, mean age 12 +/- 2.1 years; low fluoride group: <1.2 mg F/L [mean 0.8 +/- 0.2], n=171, mean age 12.2 +/- 2.0 years). Several statistical tests, such as independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and post-hoc analysis, were used to assess the IQ level in the two groups. The results of ANOVA indicate a highly significant difference in the mean IQ levels of children in the different groups (p = 0.0001). The results showed that there is a negative correlation between IQ levels in children and the fluoride concentration in drinking water. These findings may help to further understand the harmful effects of fluoride on the IQ level of children, help overcome the problem of high fluoride concentrations in drinking water, and assist governments in strengthening policy making for the provision of safe drinking water.