Teeth tell archaeologists everything about ancient civilizations: their diet, lifestyle and causes of death. However, it seems that they can clarify something about the future of their owners.
American scientists examined the milk teeth of 37 six-year-olds and compared the findings with the psychological assessment of the behavior of these children. It turned out that the thinner the tooth enamel, the higher the likelihood of attention problems, which ultimately lead to depression, bipolar disorder, increased anxiety, and even schizophrenia.
Dr. Erin Dunn, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital, drew conclusions unprecedented in psychiatry by studying the enamel of milk teeth in six-year-old children. “This is something that we never suspected,” – said the doctor .
Dunn collaborated with archaeologists, anthropologists and therapists in her research, presented to the American Association for the Advancement of Scientific Knowledge in Washington, DC.
They asked the parents of 37 children aged 6 and older to send them their baby teeth. The teeth were examined using high-resolution devices, and then the results were compared with data on the general mental behavior of children.
Differences in the size and quality of teeth were found to be a better indicator of mental illness than factors usually considered by psychiatrists, such as area of residence or complete / incomplete family composition.
Dr. Dunn believes that her research has shown the need for professionals to work in different fields of science and interact with colleagues, which can lead to completely unexpected results.
By the way, before that, scientists advised parents not to throw away milk teeth. The fact is that from them you can then get stem cells that can save a person’s life. True, treatment with stem cells is still a controversial experiment, but science is moving forward by leaps and bounds.
“Just put the tooth in the refrigerator. The tooth must be healthy, not filled and not damaged by caries, ”experts say.
Well, dentists assure that by the teeth you can predict what, in principle, a person will get sick with throughout his life. Or maybe even how many years he will live. And they remind: it is imperative to treat milk teeth. Otherwise, problems with permanent ones cannot be avoided.