Lines on children's baby teeth may be linked to a mothers' psychosocial stress during and after pregnancy, according to a study published Nov. 9 in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers looked for neonatal lines on teeth after they fell out among 70 children, matching them to questionnaires mothers answered before and after giving birth. Through the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, exfoliated teeth were collected from children 5 to 7 years old, while data from mothers was collected from Jan. 1, 1991, to Dec. 31, 1998. Researchers analyzed the data from 2019 to 2021.
The study found neonatal lines were wider in children born to mothers who self-reported severe lifetime depression, any lifetime psychiatric problems, or elevated anxiety or depressive symptoms at 32 weeks' gestation. In comparison, neonatal lines were narrower in children born to mothers who self-reported high social support shortly after birth. These associations were significant and persisted after adjusting for risk factors.