Effects of prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke on developmental stability in children

The effects of maternal and paternal smoking on fetal and neonatal dental development were investigated in a sample of 199 school children. Fluctuating asymmetry was evaluated in the maxillary arcades of four groups of children: those whose mothers had smoked, those whose fathers had smoked, those whose parents both had smoked, and finally, those whose parents had not smoked. When the magnitudes of fluctuating asymmetry in children exposed to parental tobacco smoke from one parent only were compared with the control group, no general univariate differences were found. Children exposed to smoke from both parents, however, showed significantly elevated levels of asymmetry in four out of six comparisons. In contrast, an analysis of variance failed to find significant differences on the basis of sex, parity, smoking status, or their interactions. It is concluded that parental smoking does not result in developmental destabilization of the fetus and neonate.