JESSICA BROWN IS BACK WITH THE NEW STUDY. JESSIC TA:HAT’S RIGHT. THE RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL. SCIENTISTS SAY THEY WANTO LEARN IF AND HOW A CHILD’S SHED OF BABY TEETH MAY RECORD HEALTH INFORMATION THAT COULD HELP THEM LATER IN LIFE. RESEARCHERS SAY ONE OF THE BIGGEST THREATS TO HEALTHY CHILD DEVELOPMENT IS EXPOSURE TO TRAUMA AND ADVERSITY. BUT RIGHT NOW, THE AREREEW F TOOLS TO MEASURE THAT EXPOSURE. THEY BELIEVE PRIMARYEE TTHR O BABY TEETH MAY RECORD CERTAIN LIFE EVENTS, LIKE STRESS FROM POVERTY, HOME LIFEOR, NATURAL DISASTERS. AND HAVING THAT INFORMATION COULD HELP DOCTORS PREDICTND A LIKELY MINIMIZE A CHILD’S RISK OF LATER HEALTH PROBLEMS. MASS GENERAL IS COLLECTING BABY TEETH FROM CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN ON OR BEFORE APRIL 1, 2012 TO NOVEMBER 4, 2013. SO IF YOU THINK THE TOOTH FAIRY MAY STILL HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE BYBA TEETH, GIVE HER A CALL. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN ETH STUDY ON OUR WEBSITE, WC.C
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Mass General Hospital collecting baby teeth from parents to study childhood development
Updated: 5:28 PM EST Mar 7, 2022
A major Massachusetts hospital is collecting baby teeth, and if you are still hanging on to those chompers you can pass them on for a good cause. By studying these teeth, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital may be able to determine if different environmental and social factors like poverty, natural disasters and other stressful events cause teeth to change according to Erin Dunn, the head of the Dunn Lab at MGH in a promotional video on the initiative’s website. Research already exists looking at high fevers, medication use and pesticide exposure and their links to changes in color, shape or size of teeth.“Just like trees, our teeth grow in layers, leaving behind rings,” Dunn said. “And just like trees, each layer in a tooth corresponds to a period of time during a person’s growth and development.”The lab is collecting the baby teeth of children who were born on or between April 1, 2012, and November 4, 2013, for the study known as the Stories Teeth Record of Newborn Growth Study. Participants in the study will get a copy of “The Science Tooth Fairy,” a book written by Kenzie Rzonca, Dunn and members of the Dunn Lab to help parents talk with their children about donating their teeth to science.Anyone interested in sending in children’s teeth can visit the program’s website to fill out an eligibility survey or call a research coordinator at 617-643-7094.
A major Massachusetts hospital is collecting baby teeth, and if you are still hanging on to those chompers you can pass them on for a good cause.
By studying these teeth, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital may be able to determine if different environmental and social factors like poverty, natural disasters and other stressful events cause teeth to change according to Erin Dunn, the head of the Dunn Lab at MGH in a promotional video on the initiative’s website. Research already exists looking at high fevers, medication use and pesticide exposure and their links to changes in color, shape or size of teeth.
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“Just like trees, our teeth grow in layers, leaving behind rings,” Dunn said. “And just like trees, each layer in a tooth corresponds to a period of time during a person’s growth and development.”
The lab is collecting the baby teeth of children who were born on or between April 1, 2012, and November 4, 2013, for the study known as the Stories Teeth Record of Newborn Growth Study.
Participants in the study will get a copy of “The Science Tooth Fairy,” a book written by Kenzie Rzonca, Dunn and members of the Dunn Lab to help parents talk with their children about donating their teeth to science.
Anyone interested in sending in children’s teeth can visit the program’s website to fill out an eligibility survey or call a research coordinator at 617-643-7094.