Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
권호 표지

Effects of Long-term Fluoride in Drinking Water on Risks of Hip Fracture of the Elderly: An Ecologic Study Based on Database of Hospitalization Episodes

수돗물 불소화와 노령 인구의 고관절 골절에 대한 생태학적 연구

  • Park, Eun-Young (Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Institute of Environmental Medicine, SNUMRC) ;
  • Hwang, Seung-Sik (Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Institute of Environmental Medicine, SNUMRC) ;
  • Kim, Jai-Yong (Research and Development Center, Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service) ;
  • Cho, Soo-Hun (Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine & Institute of Environmental Medicine, SNUMRC)
  • 박은영 (서울대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실 및 서울대학교 의학연구원 환경의학연구소) ;
  • 황승식 (서울대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실 및 서울대학교 의학연구원 환경의학연구소) ;
  • 김재용 (건강보험심사평가원 조사연구실) ;
  • 조수헌 (서울대학교 의과대학 예방의학교실 및 서울대학교 의학연구원 환경의학연구소)
  • Published : 2008.05.31
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Abstract

Objectives : Fluoridation of drinking water is known to decrease dental caries, particularly in children. However, the effects of fluoridated water on bone over several decades are still in controversy. To assess the risk of hip fracture related to water fluoridation, we evaluated the hip fracture-related hospitalizations of the elderly between a fluoridated city and non-fluoridated cities in Korea. Methods : Cheongju as a fluoridated area and Chungju, Chuncheon, Suwon, Wonju as non-fluoridated areas were chosen for the study. We established a database of hip fracture hospitalization episode based on the claims data submitted to the Health Insurance Review Agency from January 1995 to December 2002. The hip fracture hospitalization episodes that satisfied the conditions were those that occurred in patients over 65 years old, the injuries had a hip fracture code (ICD-9 820, ICD-10 S72) and the patients were hospitalized for at least 7days. A total of 80,558 cases of hip fracture hospitalization episodes were analyzed. Results : The admission rates for hip fracture increased with the age of the men and women in both a fluoridated city and the non-fluoridated cities (p<0.01). The relative risk of hip fracture increased significantly both for men and women as their age increased. However, any difference in the hip fracture admission rates was not consistently observed between the fluoridated city and the non-fluoridated cities. Conclusions : We cannot conclude that fluoridation of drinking water increases the risk of hip fracture in the elderly.

Keywords

References

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