DT News - UK - Research finds tooth enamel fast track in humans

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 25 November 2014

save

CANTERBURY, UK: New research conducted at the University of Kent in Canterbury has discovered a link between prenatal enamel growth rates of teeth and weaning in human babies. The research found that incisors grow quickly in the early stages of the second trimester of a baby’s development, while molars grow at a slower rate in the third trimester. This is so incisors are ready to erupt after birth, at approximately six months of age, when a baby makes the transition from breast-feeding to weaning.

Weaning in humans takes place relatively early compared with some primates, such as chimpanzees. As a result, there is less time available for human incisors to form, so the enamel grows rapidly to compensate.

The research findings could increase our understanding of weaning in our fossil ancestors and could help dentists, as dental problems do not register in all teeth in the same way. Enamel cells deposit new tissue at different times and different rates, depending on the tooth type.

Exactly when early weaning in humans first began is much debated among anthropologists. Current dental approaches rely on finding fossil skulls with teeth that were erupting at the time of death—which is an extremely rare find. Anthropologists will now be able to explore the start of weaning in an entirely new way because primary teeth preserve a record of prenatal enamel growth after they have erupted and for millennia after death.

The research, funded by a Royal Society equipment grant, was conducted by Dr Patrick Mahoney who works at the Kent Osteological Research and Analysis unit housed in the Human Osteology Research Lab of the University of Kent.

The study, titled “Dental fast track: Prenatal enamel growth, incisor eruption, and weaning in human infants”, was published online on 11 November in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology ahead of print.

To post a reply please login or register

Couple finds human tooth in sausage

QUEENBOROUGH – A couple from the UK has found a human tooth in a package of premium brand sausage. Representatives of the popular British supermarket ...

Research on pufferfish could lead to addressing tooth loss in humans

SHEFFIELD, UK: According to new research by an international team of scientists, human teeth evolved from the same genes that form the characteristic beaked...

Fossil teeth trace human lineage to rat-like creature

PORTSMOUTH, UK: According to new research from the University of Portsmouth in England, fossils from the oldest mammals belonging to the line that led to ...

Research on fossilised teeth redefines human and Neanderthal history

LONDON, UK: Looking back in time through archaeology has revealed many insights to explain where Homo sapiens came from. By examining teeth, scientists have...

Dental radiographs pose potential hazard to human health, study finds

BRIGHTON, UK/ATLANTA, US: The incidence of thyroid cancer and meningioma is increasing globally. New research has found that repeated exposure to dental ...

Research finds presence of dental phobia not a barrier to treatment

LONDON, UK: It has been established that patients with a phobia of dentistry may often delay visiting the dentist or avoid it altogether. It comes as ...

Research suggests human dairy consumption has longer history than previously thought

YORK, UK: The history of dairy consumption among European populations is a surprisingly contentious subject. Lactase persistence—the ability to digest the...

Report shows sugar reduction goals not yet on track

LONDON, UK: The negative impact that excess sugar consumption has on both oral and overall health is a well-established fact at this point. It comes as ...

Hair-derived keratin toothpaste: A natural enamel repair revolution

LONDON, England: A pioneering study from King’s College London has revealed that keratin—sourced from human hair or wool—can form a crystalline ...

Avoiding common problems in tooth extractions

The last two decades have seen significant advances in restorative techniques and materials for dentistry. The latter, along with community-based preventive...

Education

On-demand
webinar