Iron Level in Pregnant Rats is Associated with Caries Susceptibility in Offsprings

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a prevalent issue in pregnant women and children. However, the causal relationship between IDA in pregnancy and caries susceptivity in offspring remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of iron level during pregnancy on caries susceptivity of offsprings. Here, low-iron (LI) and high-iron (HI) models were established in maternal rats, and iron-related characteristics were examined in maternal rats and their offsprings. After induction of caries in rat offsprings, the carious lesions were evaluated by the Keyes scores, and microstructural damages in molars were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that LI in maternal rats induced IDA in rat offsprings, and HI only increased serum ferritin in offsprings. LI and HI in maternal rats had no effect on the morphological structure of salivary glands in rat offsprings. After inducing caries, rat offsprings in the LI group exhibited significant increase in enamel lesions at the smooth surface, and on enamel, slight dentinal, and moderate dentinal lesions at the sulcal surface. Only enamel lesions at the sulcal surface were significantly weakened in the HI group. Additionally, visible enamel damages were observed in the LI group. To sum up, iron deficiency during pregnancy enhances caries susceptibility in rat offsprings.