Traumatic experiences in childhood affect tooth health

Scientists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology found a correlation between teenagers' tooth health and their adverse childhood experiences, including bullying, abuse, violence, alcohol-addicted parents, etc.

The biological nature of that correlation is still unclear, but the survey showed a particular result.

What did scientists discover?

The survey involved about 6300 young people. As it turned out, teenagers (16-17 years old) who reported anything bad that happened in their childhood are also experiencing problems with bad teeth cleaning habits. Moreover, due to poor oral hygiene, dentine caries are more likely to be found in this group.

Scientists are still searching for a particular reason that disturbs the formation of good teeth-cleaning habits. However, most likely, it's because such habits usually form during early childhood, a time frame followed by some thought events.

What does it mean?

This research showed that the list of reasons causing poor oral health and caries is much broader than we thought. It means that teenagers and children's treatment should include not only a traditional dentist's approach but also some kind of survey that makes it possible for dentists to get to know more about participants' past, which may be used to tune their habits in the right way.

Scientists are continuing the study to get more insights. However, at that point, researchers are sure that modern dental pediatric practices, in some cases, should also involve psychological approaches to understand the reason for a patient's bad oral health.