A New Tooth Test Could Tell You If You Will Go Bald As An Adult
Date: April 20, 2015Category: Author: Infinity Dental Web
Your mouth holds a surprising number of answers about your health. Medical researchers are constantly probing teeth to see what they can tell us about a person’s life style and overall well-being. Here are two of the newest discoveries that scientists have made regarding our teeth and what they tell us about our health.
Scientist link baldness and tooth decay
Scientists at the NIAMS institute have been looking into the different mutations of Keratin 75 in the human body. Keratin is responsible for hair and nail growth, being one of the building blocks for both. Additionally, Keratin 75 is also present in tooth enamel, so the scientists wanted to see if they could predict baldness later in life based on Keratin 75 analysis in children.
What did they find?
Certain mutations of the Keratin 75 gene lead to weaker enamel as well as baldness. This means that individuals who carry this gene are more likely to go bald as well as have cavities. What a bummer! At this time there is no way to fix or avoid this gene, but with the knowledge that you carry it you would be able to take preventative measures to make sure you don’t get cavities or lose your hair.
What is the takeaway?
The takeaway is that there could soon be a childhood test that would determine if you are at risk of baldness as an adult. Perhaps more importantly, this same test could also tell you if you have a higher risk of cavities than a normal person. Simply carrying the K75 gene is not an excuse to have cavities, though. With proper care and diligent monitoring anyone can keep their teeth cavity free.
How your teeth are affected by your birth weight
A new study put out by the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Peru looked at the correlation between birth weight and tooth health later in life. They tracked over a thousand newly born infants from age zero to five, and monitored their oral health while comparing it to other kids with similar oral hygiene routines.
What did they find?
They found that there is a fairly strong correlation between being underweight and having enamel issues in early childhood. The babies that were born underweight, which is usually a sign of a premature birth, had many more enamel defects which lead to cavities. In their research they found that 77% of children born underweight had some type of enamel defect, while 22% of those defects were deemed serious.
What is the takeaway?
So if you have a premature or underweight baby, you need to be extra careful and pay extra attention to cleaning your child’s teeth. You should be brushing their teeth as soon as they first appear to when your child is old enough to brush by themselves. Their teeth need to be brushed twice a day, just like your teeth, for at least two minutes a session. If you are diligent you should be able to avoid cavities even if your child was underweight when they were born.
Dr. Mike Malone and his team practice expert cosmetic dentistry in Lafayette, LA. Dr. Malone is the former president and current accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also the official Cosmetic Dentist of the Miss Louisiana USA and Miss Louisiana Teen USA pageants. Check out his website for more information.