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Dentin Metal and Trace Elements in Deciduous Teeth: Findings from Project Viva
Pi-I D Lin1, Christine Austin2, Yi Ying Ong3,4
1Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States.
Environmental Science & Technology
|July 18, 2025
Summary
Deciduous teeth accurately track early-life metal exposure, with maternal blood lead (Pb) levels strongly correlating to child dentin Pb. Maternal factors like race and smoking influence these metal concentrations.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatrics
- Toxicology
Background:
- Deciduous teeth offer a historical record of metal exposure.
- Understanding population-level metal distribution in teeth is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- Characterize metal levels in deciduous teeth.
- Compare metal measurements within teeth.
- Assess associations between maternal blood metals and child dentin metals.
- Evaluate maternal and child characteristics' influence on metal levels.
Main Methods:
- Recruited pregnant women for Project Viva (1999-2002).
- Collected deciduous teeth during follow-up (2017-2020).
- Analyzed dentin metal concentrations using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS).
- Measured maternal erythrocyte metals (first and second trimesters) via ICP-MS.
- Compared duplicate teeth using Bland-Altman plots and cross-correlations.
Main Results:
- Significant positive correlation between maternal erythrocyte lead (Pb) and child dentin Pb.
- Strongest association: second trimester maternal Pb and prenatal dentin Pb (Spearman r = 0.78, p < 0.001).
- Metal concentrations varied by maternal race, age, income, and smoking status.
Conclusions:
- Deciduous teeth are valuable for tracking early-life metal exposure.
- Maternal factors significantly impact metal levels in children's dentin.
- Further research needed on population-level metal distribution and influencing factors.
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