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Dentine lead concentration as a predictor of neuropsychological functioning in inner-city children
1Department of Biochemistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 19104, Philadelphia, PA.
Insights
Cumulative lead exposure in children, measured in teeth, negatively impacts cognitive abilities. Circumpulpal dentine lead levels provide a more sensitive indicator of lead exposure and its neurotoxic effects.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Childhood lead exposure is a significant public health concern, particularly in urban environments.
- Assessing cumulative lead exposure is crucial for understanding long-term health impacts.
- Dentine lead concentration in deciduous teeth serves as a biomarker for historical lead exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the relationship between cumulative lead exposure and neuropsychological outcomes in inner-city Black children.
- To compare the sensitivity of primary dentine versus circumpulpal dentine lead levels as indicators of lead exposure.
- To investigate the impact of lead exposure on cognitive and verbal abilities at different developmental stages.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lead concentrations in primary and circumpulpal dentine of deciduous teeth from 193 inner-city Black children.
- Review of existing neuropsychological test results from age 7.
- Conducting further neuropsychological assessments between ages 10-14.
- Correlating dentine lead levels with performance on cognitive and verbal tests.
Main Results:
- Higher dentine lead concentrations were associated with deficits in neuropsychological test performance at both age 7 and ages 10-14.
- Performance abilities were more strongly affected by lead exposure than verbal abilities.
- Lead's negative effects on neuropsychological functioning were more pronounced when using circumpulpal dentine lead levels compared to primary dentine levels.
Conclusions:
- Cumulative lead exposure, as indicated by dentine lead levels, adversely affects children's neuropsychological development.
- Circumpulpal dentine lead concentration is a more sensitive biomarker for assessing lead exposure's neurotoxic effects.
- Separate assaying of circumpulpal and primary dentine lead is recommended for a more accurate estimation of lead exposure.
Abstract:
Cumulative lead exposure in 193 inner-city Black children was evaluated by measuring lead concentrations in the primary dentine and the circumpulpal dentine of their deciduous teeth. The children's dentine lead levels were comparable to those reported in population studies of low-income children living in inner-city areas. The results of neuropsychological tests administered at age 7 were available for children in the sample; we performed further neuropsychological assessments when their teeth were shed (10-14 yr of age). Higher dentine lead concentrations were associated with deficits in neuropsychological test performance at both testings, with performance abilities more strongly affected than verbal abilities. Moreover, the negative effects of lead on neuropsychological functioning were more evident when lead concentrations in circumpulpal dentine, rather than in primary dentine, was used as the index of lead exposure. Based on this finding, we suggest that circumpulpal dentine and primary dentine should be assayed separately in order to yield a more sensitive estimate of exposure to lead.
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