Teeth can help identify mental health disorder in children, study finds

According to a new research, children’s teeth can prove to be a door to their minds and can help doctors diagnose mental health conditions in them.

Examining teeth lost by six-year-olds, scientists found traces on their surface that were linked to behavioural problems in them. This can help identify mental conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder in children at an early stage.

The study found that children with thin tooth enamel – the hard outer part of the tooth – in particular often found it difficult to pay attention or were more aggressive. These traits have been associated to poor mental health in later life, reported Independent.

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“As a scientific community, we have spent decades trying to find ways to identify people – especially children – who are at risk of having mental health problems in the future,” said lead researcher Erin Dunn. “Imagine if teeth could begin to unlock that mystery.”

Scientists examined enamel and volume of tooth pulp and such other factors of milk teeth lost by 37 children over the age of six. With the help of high resolution images of teeth, the team identified the correlation between tooth traits and behaviours reported by teachers and parents.

The researchers found teeth were better predictors of mental health as compared to other socioeconomic factors that are observed like their family setup or the neighbourhood they live in. The research was also surprising because teeth are usually linked to anthropologists and archaeologists to understand ancient civilisations and people.

Dunn believed that this potential application of teeth being used to detect mental health has been completely overlooked. “It’s something we had never seen or thought of before,” Dr Dunn told Daily Mail.