ENAM Gene Variation in Students Exposed to Different Fluoride Concentrations

Area of Science:

• Dental Research
• Genetics
• Public Health

Background:

• The ENAM gene plays a crucial role in tooth enamel formation.
• Alterations in ENAM can impact enamel crystal length and thickness.
• Fluoride exposure is a known factor in dental fluorosis and caries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence of the ENAM single nucleotide variant (SNV) rs12640848.
• To determine the association between this ENAM variant and dental fluorosis severity in students exposed to varying fluoride concentrations.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 71 students exposed to high fluoride levels in Durango.
• Genotyping was performed using DNA sequencing.
• Statistical analysis included Fisher's exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests to correlate genotype with fluorosis and caries severity.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in allele distribution were observed across different dental fluorosis severity groups (p=0.000).
• Specific genotype variations (AA/TT, AG/TC, GG/CC) showed varying frequencies correlating with fluorosis levels (TF ≤ 4, TF ≥ 5, TF = 0).

Conclusions:

• The ENAM gene variant rs12640848 is associated with dental fluorosis in populations exposed to fluoride.
• This genetic association may influence individual susceptibility to fluoride's effects on tooth enamel.