Pregnancy Stress Could Increase Risk of Childhood Decay
A new study has suggested that stress during pregnancy could increase the risk of a child suffering from dental decay. Researchers from Kings College London found that a chronic period of stress during pregnancy was not solely linked to an elevated risk of complications during labour and birth, but also raised the chances of a child developing cavities.
Dental decay is the most common preventable childhood illness in the UK and the leading cause of hospital admissions among children aged between 5 and 9 years old. Every week in the UK, hundreds of children undergo extraction procedures in hospital under general anaesthetic.
During their research, Dr Wael Sabbah, lead author, and a team of researchers from Kings College London and Seattle’s University of Washington, analysed data from 716 children and their mothers, each aged over 30 years old. Biological indicators for stress were evaluated during the pregnancy and the mothers’ blood pressures and waist measurements were monitored. Regular blood tests were carried out to assess levels of triglycerides, glucose, C-reactive protein, high density lipoprotein and cholesterol.
After analysing the data, the team found that mothers who had two or more allostatic load (AL) markers for stress were much more likely to have children with tooth decay than those with no markers. Also, children who were not breastfed had a higher chance of developing decay. Breastfeeding was less common among mothers with a lower income. Income was also highlighted as a determining factor when it came to taking children to the dentist. Mothers with a lower income were less likely to take their baby for a check-up than those with higher incomes.
In the past, studies have suggested a relationship between income and socioeconomic status and risk of decay, but this is the first report to identify stress as a risk factor for decay.
The findings are available to read in the American Journal of Public Health.
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