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SPECIALITY

Baby teeth may one day help

identify kids at risk for mental

disorders later in life

Like the rings of a tree, teeth contain growth lines that may reveal clues
about childhood experiences.

he team analysed 70
primary teeth collected from
T70 children enrolled in the
Children of the 90s study (also
known as the Avon Longitudinal
Study of Parents and Children)
based at the University of Bristol.
Parents donated primary teeth
(specifically, the pointed teeth on
each side of the front of the mouth
known as canines) that naturally
fell out of the mouths of children
aged 5 to 7.

The results of this study could one
day lead to the development of a
much-needed tool for identifying
children who have been exposed to
early-life adversity, which is a risk
factor for psychological problems,
allowing them to be monitored
and guided towards preventive
treatments, if necessary.

The origin of this study traces
back several years, when senior
author Erin C. Dunn, ScD, MPH,
learned about work in the field of
anthropology that could help solve
a longstanding problem in her own
research. Dunn is a social and
psychiatric epidemiologist and an childhood adversity. Asking people such as poor nutrition or disease,
investigator in MGH’s Psychiatric (or their parents) about painful can affect the formation of dental
and Neurodevelopmental Genetics experiences in their early years is enamel and result in pronounced
Unit. She studies the effects of one method, but that’s vulnerable growth lines within teeth, called
childhood adversity, which research to poor recall or reluctance to stress lines, which are similar to
suggests is responsible for up share difficult memories. “That’s a the rings in a tree that mark its
to one-third of all mental health hindrance for this field,” says Dunn. age. Just as the thickness of tree
disorders. Dunn is particularly growth rings can vary based on the
interested in the timing of these However, Dunn was intrigued to climate surrounding the tree as it
adverse events and in uncovering learn that anthropologists have forms, tooth growth lines can also
whether there are sensitive periods long studied the teeth of people vary based on the environment and
during child development when from past eras to learn about their experiences a child has in utero and
exposure to adversity is particularly lives. “Teeth create a permanent shortly thereafter, the time when
harmful. Yet Dunn notes that she record of different kinds of life
and other scientists lack effective experiences,” she says. Exposure 7
tools for measuring exposure to to sources of physical stress,

6 DENTAL NEWS