School of Archaeology and Anthropology, 44 Linnaeus Way, Banks Building, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
Early Hum Dev. 2019 Oct;137:104821. doi: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.07.004. Epub 2019 Jul 19.
Physiological disruptions to early human development have implications for health and disease in later life. Limited research has explored how prenatal factors influence dental development in children of mothers with known pregnancy conditions. Enamel in human deciduous teeth begins forming in utero and is highly susceptible to physiological upsets experienced perinatally. The moment of birth itself is marked in deciduous enamel by the Neonatal Line (NNL) as a baby transitions from the uterine to external environment. This study evaluates the effect of maternal health factors that include stress and alcohol consumption on NNL in teeth from Australian children.
Mothers (n = 53) were interviewed about their health during pregnancy and experience of birth. Sixty-five deciduous teeth (incisors, molars, one canine) from their children were donated for histological examination. Neonatal line thickness was measured from thin sections and evaluated against maternal and neonatal factors using statistical analyses, controlling for tooth type and birth number.
The only maternal factor of a statistically significant effect on NNL thickness was alcohol consumption. Children of mothers who drank occasionally during pregnancy had a thicker NNL when compared to children of mothers who abstained. These results suggest that maternal lifestyle factors influence NNL formation possibly due to physiological changes that disrupt calcium homeostasis during enamel deposition. We highlight large intra-specific variation in human NNL expression. The potential of dental sampling in identifying children with prenatal exposure to alcohol is suggested.
早期人类发育的生理紊乱会对以后的生活健康和疾病产生影响。研究表明，产前因素如何影响患有已知妊娠疾病的母亲的孩子的牙齿发育。人乳恒牙的牙釉质在子宫内开始形成，并且在围产期非常容易受到生理紊乱的影响。新生儿线（NNL）的出现标志着婴儿从子宫内环境向外部环境的过渡。本研究评估了母体健康因素（包括压力和饮酒）对澳大利亚儿童牙齿 NNL 的影响。
对 53 位母亲进行了妊娠期间健康状况和分娩经历的访谈。她们的孩子的 65 颗乳恒牙（切牙、磨牙、一颗犬齿）被捐赠用于组织学检查。从薄片上测量了新生儿线的厚度，并使用统计学分析评估了其与母体和新生儿因素的关系，同时控制了牙齿类型和出生数量。
唯一对 NNL 厚度有统计学显著影响的母体因素是饮酒。与不饮酒的母亲相比，偶尔饮酒的母亲的孩子的 NNL 更厚。这些结果表明，母体生活方式因素会影响 NNL 的形成，这可能是由于在牙釉质沉积过程中破坏钙稳态的生理变化所致。我们强调了人类 NNL 表达的大种内变异。提示可以通过牙齿采样来识别有产前酒精暴露的儿童。
