fluorosis /flo͝orō″sis/ [L, fluere + Gk, osis, condition] , the condition that results from excessive prolonged ingestion of fluorine. Unusually high concentration of fluorine in the drinking water typically causes mottled discoloration and pitting of the enamel of the secondary and primary dentition in children whose teeth developed while maternal intake of fluorinated water was high. Severe chronic fluorine poisoning leads to osteosclerosis and other pathological bone and joint changes in adults. See also fluoridation, fluoride.
