One day, deciduous teeth may help determine the child’s risk of mental illness later in life

The results of this research may one day lead to the development of a much-needed tool to identify children who have experienced early adversity (a risk factor for psychological problems) so that they can be monitored and directed, when necessary Perform preventive treatment

The origin of this research can be traced back to a few years ago, when senior author Erin C.

However, Dunn was curious to discover that anthropologists have long been studying the teeth of people in the past to understand their lives

Dunn proposed a hypothesis that the width of the newborn line (NNL) can be used as an indicator of whether the baby’s mother experiences high levels of psychological stress during pregnancy (when the teeth are already formed) and early after birth

To test this hypothesis, Dunn and two co-authors-postdoctoral researcher Dr.

Several obvious patterns emerged

Dunn said that no one is sure what caused the formation of NNL, but it is possible that a mother experiencing anxiety or depression may produce more cortisol, a "stress hormone" that interferes with the production of tooth enamel.

Dunn is also an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

Journal Reference :

1. Rebecca V.