Estimación del flúor mediante la aplicación del recordatorio de 24 horas, hábitos de higiene bucal relacionados con la ingesta de flúor y el consumo de flúor a partir de fuentes alimentarias ricas en sal en niños de 7 a 12 años de las parroquias rurales del cantón Cuenca

The daily intake of fluoride comes mainly from fluoridated salt, food, drinking water, fluoridated supplements, and also from toothpastes, mouthwashes, gels and varnishes. However, excessive intake has been associated with the development of dental fluorosis. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the intake of fluoride from salt sources, to know the oral hygiene habits related to the intake of fluoride by consumption of toothpastes and mouthwashes, and to identify the frequency of consumption of foods rich in salt to estimate possible sources of fluoride from food. Methodology: An exploratory descriptive study was carried out in a sample taken at convenience in children without dental fluorosis from 5 rural parishes of the Cuenca canton. The 24hour reminder was applied to estimate the intake of fluoride from the salt added to food according to the recipes, a questionnaire of oral hygiene habits to identify the intake of fluoride by the consumption of toothpastes or mouthwashes, and a questionnaire of frequency of consumption to estimate possible sources of fluoride from foods rich in salt. Results: 46 children, 7 to 12 years old, participated in the present study. With the 24hour recall it was evidenced that on average the daily intake of salt from foods prepared according to recipes was 3,50 g / day with a standard deviation of 2,14, which on average gave an intake of fluoride of 0,70 mg / day with a standard deviation of 0,43. Through the oral hygiene habits questionnaire, it is considered that 43,5% accidentally ingested toothpaste while brushing, 60,9% brushed their teeth twice a day, 60,9% placed a quantity of toothpaste tooth in the middle of the brush; and only 21,7% have used toothpastes at an age of three years or later. With the questionnaire of frequency of consumption it was evidenced that the most frequent food consumed by children was white rice with or without oil. Conclusions: In conclusion, according to the results, the participants