Baby teeth offer a record of prenatal and childhood exposures
University of Bergen doctoral work finds shed primary teeth can help reconstruct early exposure to trace elements, including lead.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
Naturally shed baby teeth may give researchers a time-stamped record of environmental exposures from pregnancy through early childhood, according to doctoral research at the University of Bergen. The work matters because those early periods are sensitive stages of development, while many exposures are hard to measure accurately years later.
Dr. Synnøve Stokke Jensen’s thesis, “Biomarkers in Human Primary Teeth in Epidemiological Research,” used data and biological material from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, known as MoBa, and the MoBaTooth Biobank. The University of Bergen describes MoBaTooth as the world’s largest collection of naturally shed primary teeth linked with broad health and environmental data.
According to the university, Jensen’s research shows that children’s primary teeth can serve as biological archives for exposures during key stages of development. Jensen said primary teeth preserve information from pregnancy and childhood that cannot be collected retrospectively in the same way, allowing researchers to study environmental exposures during sensitive periods in fine detail.
Three studies built from tooth biomarkers
The thesis combines three studies that measured biomarkers in human primary teeth, according to the University of Bergen. Together, they examined how trace elements in teeth can be used in population health research.
The first study set reference levels for a wide range of trace elements in children’s primary teeth. The university said the findings showed that dentin, the hard tissue beneath enamel, can be used to reconstruct exposure patterns from before birth through early childhood.
The second study compared lead measurements from mothers during pregnancy with lead preserved in their children’s primary teeth. According to the University of Bergen, the study found a strong relationship between the two, supporting the use of baby teeth as a record of fetal exposure to environmental contaminants.
The third study looked at trace-element patterns in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. The university said the analysis found differences in certain prenatal and early-life exposure profiles, pointing to the possible use of tooth biomarkers in research on environmental influences and neurodevelopment.
Teeth record exposures as they grow
The scientific basis for the approach comes from the way teeth form, according to the University of Bergen. Primary teeth develop in layers and remain stable, preserving a chronological record of both essential nutrients and environmental contaminants.
That layered growth has been compared to tree rings, with each layer holding information from a particular period of development. The University of Bergen said this gives researchers a way to study exposures during developmental windows that would otherwise be difficult to reconstruct.
Jensen’s thesis was submitted and defended at the University of Bergen in Norway. Professor Kristin S. Klock, who leads the MoBaTooth Biobank, served as the main supervisor, according to the university.
The findings expand the use of naturally shed baby teeth in epidemiological research, according to Jensen and the University of Bergen. The work suggests that teeth collected after they fall out can help scientists examine how early-life environments may relate to health across the lifespan, including children’s health and neurodevelopment.
This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.