Eczema, tooth decay link in children
Researchers from NUS Dentistry and Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research discovered that infants with eczema were three times more likely to develop tooth decay at 2 and 3 years of age. This new link between the two diseases was outlined in a paper published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
NUS Dentistry Associate Professor Stephen Hsu, the corresponding author of the paper, said that tooth decay is highly preventable. “Our latest findings will give parents and caregivers of babies with eczema early warning of increased risk of developing tooth decay in toddlers. Regular dental check-ups can then be conducted to help minimise the incidence of tooth decay in these children,” Assoc Prof Hsu said.
Tooth decay is a common childhood disease, with a 2009 study led by NUS Dentistry noting that four in 10 preschool children in Singapore suffered from tooth decay. The skin condition eczema affects one in five school-going children here.
Pregnant women in their first trimester were recruited for this study as part of the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) programme. Established in 2009, GUSTO is a nationwide long-term study of pregnant Singaporean mothers and their children, and to date, has recruited more than 1,200 Singaporean families.
During the child’s first year, at the ages of 3, 6 and 12 months, the parents were interviewed to identify babies with eczema. Infants whose mothers reported as having eczema were given skin prick testing to assess their sensitivity to common allergens. The results of the study showed that infants who had eczema and were sensitive to common allergens were 3.29 times and 3.09 times more likely to experience tooth decay when they were two and three years of age respectively, compared to infants without eczema. Structural defects during tissue development could be a possible mechanism behind the link between eczema and tooth decay.
The research team is presently conducting genetic analysis to confirm the mechanism and exploring the link between tooth decay and other childhood diseases potentially affected by ectodermal defects.
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