PI: Kathleen Pajer

Study contact: [email protected]

Study contact full name: Amanda Helleman

Research Area: Mental Health

Who to contact regarding participating: [email protected]

Lay Summary: Stress or anxiety, especially from early-life adverse events (i.e., challenging experiences) can lead to behaviors like teeth grinding or jaw clenching, which can result in tooth damage, wear, and discomfort. Moreover, children experiencing mental health challenges might find it difficult to maintain consistent oral hygiene, raising their risk for cavities, gum disease, and other dental problems. This creates a feedback loop, where poor oral health and emotional distress can affect each other.

The purpose of this study is to explore how mental health and oral health affect each other, and whether children with or without mental health challenges show differences in primary tooth mineralization. This is a research project, which will let us know how to better help parents deal with their children’s dental and mental health. Primary teeth naturally fall out or are routinely removed, though an alternative to discarding them is sending them to laboratories to measure early-life indicators.